Chapter 2: The Coldhearted Queen and the Quitter

Chapter 2:
The Coldhearted Queen and the Quitter

 

ONE MONTH AFTER Arthur’s ascension to knighthood, Stale and I prepared for the assembly.

This meeting only occurred once a year, and the discussions helped make and amend the laws that governed our kingdom. Last year was the first time Stale and I got permission to participate. I could even submit proposals of my own, though I lacked any final say. Mother hoped I could study the process in this way.

 

“Are you all right, Pride?” Stale said.

He’d watched me all throughout the assembly and even after it ended, when a familiar man had slunk up to me, snaking through some small talk to push his personal agenda. Father had eventually intervened, but Stale’s gaze still flickered between Father—who was dragging away the man in question—and me.

“Yes, I’m fine,” I assured him. “Sorry for worrying you.”

Stale pressed at the black frame of his glasses (glasses identical to the ones he wore in the game, in fact), but they could not conceal the dark look in his eyes. I knew from the game how vicious he could be when he set his mind to plotting and scheming.

Interestingly enough, the glasses he now fussed with had been a gift from Arthur just a few days after he was knighted. When I asked why he thought Stale needed lensless glasses, he responded that he simply thought they’d suit him. He certainly wasn’t wrong about that; Tiara and I both made sure to tell Stale that the glasses looked good on him. But I still didn’t understand why Arthur would go out of his way to buy them as a present. Even if they were lensless, glasses did not come cheap in this world.

Stale seemed to enjoy the gift. He wore them all day, every day outside of his training sessions. Whenever the servants suggested Stale could put in a specialty order to a craftsman for better glasses, he turned them down.

According to Stale, he had no desire to wear glasses that weren’t a gift from Arthur. It was just another sign of how different things were here than in the game. They’d never become such close friends in ORL, and while I loved nothing more than seeing them both happy, it left me worried about the inevitable future still creeping up on me.

When I apologized, he shook his head. “If you are well, then there’s nothing to worry about.” Despite this, he glared after the man Father was taking with him—Prime Minister Gilbert.

A slender man with long, light-blue hair tied and draped over his shoulder and matching blue eyes, Prime Minister Gilbert served as my father’s assistant. He didn’t seem to hold me in very high esteem, and Stale regarded him positively murderously in return. Around two years ago, the man had curiously started speaking to me with more favor than before, but I’d been on the receiving end of some very biting words from him for the last five.

Today, our disagreement stemmed from the Special Power Registration Bill. Prime Minister Gilbert had been pushing for the law for years, but the assembly had once again deferred it.

“Your Highness has now garnered quite a lot of trust from Her Majesty,” the prime minister had said. “I believe you could successfully leverage that trust to get my bill passed, if you wished.”

Over the years, his clever words had won him more support for his bill. But holdouts like myself, Stale, Uncle Vest, Father, and Mother left the bill’s prospects bleak. The law would force anyone with a special power to register themselves with the government, an idea that left me far too uncomfortable to support. Who knew what the government could do with that kind of information? But Prime Minister Gilbert never gave up trying to sway me.

Even at the accolade celebration one month ago, with the entire royal family and a number of bureaucrats in attendance, Prime Minister Gilbert flitted around the room, chatting with each and every knight. Father scowled at him through the entire ceremony, narrowing the intimidating purple eyes I’d inherited from him. When Prime Minister Gilbert tried his silver tongue on Arthur, Stale turned downright terrifying.

“By the way, Sir Arthur, do you possess a special power yourself?” Prime Minister Gilbert asked.

“Yes, I do,” Arthur told him. “Sadly, all I can use it for is growing crops. I wasn’t blessed with the kind of power that’ll help me serve as a knight, like my father.”

It was remarkably moving to hear Arthur bring this all up so casually. Two years ago, this supposed lack on his part served as his greatest source of shame. I itched to add to the conversation, knowing what I did of Arthur’s backstory in-game, but I held my tongue.

“I see. What about among the villagers? Have you met anyone with an unusual power or heard rumors about such people?”

“Well…my mom runs a small restaurant, so I’ve heard both true stories and rumors from the customers. Someone said there’s a person outside of town who can conjure up rain, and I’ve heard the baker’s daughter has superhuman strength. People even say that when something disappears, it’s the work of someone turning invisible with their special power, and they tell tales of a man who uses his free control of chains to kidnap villagers night after night.”

I couldn’t hear every word over the other voices in the room, but I was a bit surprised to learn that Arthur was privy to all kinds of rumors.

“What else?” Arthur mused. “Besides my dad, I’ve met people with all kinds of powers. There was one who can make water evaporate, one who has perfect aim with firearms, one who can grow her own hair at will… Then there’s the common stuff, like making fire and ice, controlling plants, long-distance communication, and treating injuries. I’ve heard totally baseless rumors too, like that some people can make rainbows, turn into birds, cure diseases, or even turn their hands into guns.”

Prime Minister Gilbert nodded along as Arthur rattled off a list of alleged powers. He didn’t stop at Arthur, though. He struck up conversations with several other knights, all seemingly innocent, yet something about it was unsettling.

Back in the present, Stale told me, “Please don’t let your guard down around Gilbert. I don’t want you seeing him anymore unless I’m with you.”

Even though we were completely alone in the hall, I couldn’t believe Stale could do something as rude as refer to the prime minister without his title. In the game, Stale and Prime Minister Gilbert were actually pretty close. They even teamed up together to support the kingdom.

Wait. What was that just now?! They teamed up to support the kingdom?!

I gasped. An intense sense of déjà vu overtook me whenever I got near Prime Minister Gilbert, but now it felt even stronger. Until this moment, I’d completely forgotten his role in the game, but his connection to Stale in ORL suddenly barreled into me. So he was a character in the game too?!

I dug for more, any other memories that might help me make sense of this revelation, but I met nothing but static.

Gah! I really need to remember this part!

I snapped out of my daze as Stale was shaking my shoulders. I abruptly reached out and grabbed his hand, giving it a tight squeeze, and he flinched.

“Stale, can you teleport us to Prime Minister Gilbert’s location right now?”

“What?” Stale’s eyes widened.

Two years ago, Stale could only teleport things lighter than his own body weight. But now he could teleport anything equal to his own weight plus another adult. He could even teleport to a specific person’s location even if he didn’t know exactly where they were. He did need to have a strong connection with the target—meeting them multiple times, speaking with them, and getting a sense of their character beforehand. For example, he could teleport to Pride when she whistled or snapped or to Tiara the moment she let out a cry of distress, no matter where we were. Hopefully, the Stale here in front of me could do the same with Prime Minister Gilbert.

“I believe I can, but where did this come from?”

“There’s something I need to confirm,” I said. “Please, Stale. Please do this for me. And try not to let him see us if possible.”

Stale barely hesitated before nodding. “Our maids, guards, and even Tiara are waiting for us out in the hall.”

Without another word, he set a hand on my shoulder, and we vanished in a blink.

“I’ve had enough of you, Gilbert!”

When the world reappeared, Father’s shouts filled our ears. We were standing at the door to his room. He must have ordered his guards away because it was just me and Stale in the hall.

“I could get us in there, but I think they’d see us,” Stale whispered.

Guilty as I felt about eavesdropping, I had to agree. Instead, we hunkered down to listen. I definitely didn’t expect to hear them in the middle of an argument, but I felt like it might help fill in the gaps in my memory.

“I simply don’t understand what I’ve done wrong, Your Royal Highness.”

“Why must you stubbornly drag Pride into all this?! You’ve never stopped ever since she and Stale signed their subordination contract.”

Prime Minister Gilbert kept his voice calm even as Father grew increasingly intense.

“I would agree that my previous treatment of Princess Pride was uncalled for. I apologize for my actions. I was merely a little on edge at the time,” Prime Minister Gilbert said. “However, our conversation this time bloomed entirely naturally. It was nothing untoward.”

Have to disagree with you on that. You practically cornered me, Prime Minister.

“My dream has languished for two long years,” he went on. “When I learned your beloved daughter would inherit the throne, when she received her precognition…we quickly located Prince Stale thanks to his extraordinary power.” I could easily picture his oily smile as he spoke. His smooth tone wound through me like a viper, cunning and deadly.

“Aside from Stale’s age and gender, the other requirement was that his special power had to be exceptional or unusual. I explained to you back then that this was nothing like searching for an extremely limited power such as your own.”

Extremely limited power. Stale and I exchanged a look.

So that was what his Special Power Registration Bill was all about—finding more people like Stale with extraordinary special powers. If the government had all that information, they could track down anyone with a special power whenever they wanted.

Prime Minister Gilbert’s voice rose in pitch, growing frantic. “Of course, I’m sure none of you are cutting corners when it comes to searching for people with special powers, particularly someone with the power I’m seeking. I appreciate that diligence ever so much, sire. Why, you’ve used the people’s tax money on that search, and all for someone who isn’t even a member of the royal family! It is yet another example of how kind you royals are! You even let that boy, Prince Stale, write letters to his mother!”

His tone dropped then, sounding almost conspiratorial. “Did you realize back then that I’d already been proposing my bill for two years? Then, as now, it never gained any traction. You were just as unwilling as the others to bend, yet a few days of constant begging from your daughter Princess Pride and you folded to her whims.” His hatred and rage were palpable even through the heavy door. I wanted to cover my ears and shrink away, but Stale was watching me, a question in his eyes.

“A few days of constant begging?” he whispered, blinking.

Oh no. Is he angry?

“Quiet down! You know that must be kept in absolute secrecy,” Father snapped.

But Prime Minister Gilbert cracked right back. “Of course I know that! That’s why I’ve never said a word! Yet despite my loyalty all these years, you’ve never actually kept your promise to find that power. You said the two of us were your dear friends, citizens you’d sworn to protect. How foolish of me to believe you. I just wanted to repay my gratitude by serving as the prime minister, but what’s come of it? Nothing. Nothing at all.”

Prime Minister Gilbert’s voice faltered, growing quiet. Father didn’t say a word. In the silence that followed, the only sound that reached us from the other side of the door was the prime minister’s ragged breaths. Eventually, Father spoke again.

“Gilbert, I understand your pain. Rosa and I are doing everything we can—”

“How could you ever understand?!”

I covered my ears out of reflex. His voice echoed down the hall. Even with all the guards sent away, someone surely heard that roar.

“What the hell could you possibly know, Albert?! You think you understand my pain—or hers?!”

Something thudded within the room. It could have been a falling object or perhaps something hitting the wall. Grunts accompanied the scuffle, making it clear that Prime Minister Gilbert and my father were fighting in there.

Who is he talking about?!

“Arthur Beresford, the boy I met at the accolade!” Prime Minister Gilbert shouted. “He’d heard rumors of that power! It really does exist, Albert. Someone really does have that power! If the whole kingdom comes together in search of it, we’ll—”

“Calm yourself, Gilbert!” Father said. “Those rumors have existed for more than a hundred years! You should know that better than anyone.”

“Then what should I do?! Tell me, Albert! How can I save her?! How do I find that power?!” All his cunning and charisma were gone now, replaced with a desperate wail—it was almost as if his own life were on the line.

“We’ve told you over and over. We’re adding more men to the search party every single year, and whenever Rosa and I travel to another country, we always ask about ways we can help her that don’t require a special power. We just haven’t found an answer yet. But one day, if we keep looking, I’m sure—”

“It’s been seven years! Seven years, Albert!”

Another thud, maybe a body hitting a wall. The next time Prime Minister Gilbert spoke, he nearly growled.

“What about her?! What about Marianne? She doesn’t have much time left…” The prime minister’s voice trailed off into silence. There was a softer thunk, as though he’d sunk to his knees on the floor.

“You still can’t find it? Why not? Every time we find more special powers, we seem to get closer, so how have you still not found it?” A sob distorted his final words.

“Gilbert…”

“Just…just one! If you just found one person…!”

Finally, Prime Minister Gilbert gave one last desperate, pained scream.

“Just one person with the power to cure diseases…”

That was the moment the dormant memories inside me finally came rushing to the surface.

 

***

 

“Found you!”

Someone was smiling, but their curved lips were taut and unsettling.

“Y-Your Majesty?! Wh-why are you here?!”

Prime Minister Gilbert stood frozen in shock. His face drained of color; his hands trembled at his sides.

“Day after day, you’ve been bombarding me with this ridiculous proposal,” Pride said. This was the Pride of the game, the same Pride who terrorized the people of Freesia until the love interests finally put an end to her. “You stirred up trouble at the assembly today too. If this bill of yours really became law, wouldn’t other people with special powers get all the attention, and my power wouldn’t be so special anymore?”

Pride brushed her wavy red hair back. She smirked down at Prime Minister Gilbert, who knelt at someone’s bedside.

“Gilbert,” she went on, “there are no secrets allowed in my castle. This isn’t a storage room for commoners. Oh, right, you’re the prime minister now. So sorry.”

This is me. This horrible girl…is me.

“Your Majesty, please hear me out,” Prime Minister Gilbert said. “This girl…Marianne is here for a reason. The previous queen and prince consort allowed her to stay here.”

“I know. I had Stale look into it already.”

The prime minister paled further.

This Pride is still young. Even younger than I am right now.

“This person suffers from a very unusual illness,” Prime Minister Gilbert said. “I assure you, there’s no risk of—”

“No risk of contagion, right? That’s why Mother and Father let you keep her around?” Her childlike voice clashed with the malice lurking beneath every word.

“Exactly!” Prime Minister Gilbert’s gaze shot up, full of hope. I’ve never seen him like this.

“Hmm, no, I don’t care for this at all. I don’t want my precious castle to be sullied by this lump of germs.” Pride sneered at the woman in the bed. I couldn’t make out the woman’s face amid the bright light in the room, but I could tell she was horribly, horribly pale, nearly as white as her crisp sheets. Was she even still alive?

“Germs?!” cried Prime Minister Gilbert.

The girl pressed on, devoid of mercy. “No one knows what made her sick, and they don’t know how to cure it either, isn’t that right? Then why shouldn’t we just get rid of her?”

“No!”

The prime minister threw himself at Pride and clung to her. She brushed him aside like a bug, turning instead to the boy at her side.

“Stale, dispose of these germs.”

“No, please wait!”

Prime Minister Gilbert grabbed her arm. Even under the heat of Pride’s glare, he pushed on in his desperation. “There’s still a means to save her,” he insisted. His gaze was piercing as he stared back at the girl, unblinking.

“The answer is the Special Power Registration Bill I’ve been proposing! If you would just help push it through and turn it into law, I could find someone who could cure her. Please, I just need a little more time.”

“Pfft!” Pride snorted. “Aha ha ha ha ha! Now that’s funny! A special power that cures diseases? That’s obviously just a rumor.”

She couldn’t stop laughing. Her laugh was childlike and lacking in grace as she mocked the man before her.

“That’s not true!” Prime Minister Gilbert said. “The people of our kingdom possess all kinds of special powers. Many can heal the wounded, so somebody out there must have the power I’m seeking. Somebody out there can save her!”

Despite the mockery, Prime Minister Gilbert pushed on. But Pride—I—just kept laughing in the face of his pleas.

“Ha ha… Ha ha ha! Ah, how funny. Very well. I’ll enact that law for you, and I’ll let you keep your germs.” It was hard to believe that laughter was coming from a young girl. The unnerving aura she gave off made her look monstrous.

“Really?!” the prime minister said, a glimmer of hope in his eyes. “Do you mean it?!”

“However,” Pride cut in, “you’ll have to continue to serve as the prime minister and take on my late father’s share of the work as well. If you can do all of that without a word of complaint, then in five years, I’ll have your proposal enacted into law at the assembly.”

But that’s impossible! The offices of prime minister and prince consort both entailed a wide range of duties. Either one of those jobs would be burdensome to many; no one could hope to take on both.

And yet, the prime minister leapt to the challenge. “Of course. I, Gilbert Butler, shall pour my entire heart and soul into fulfilling both duties.”

He clasped his hands together and bowed as though in prayer, thanking Pride over and over.

That won’t be enough to save her. Plus, enacting that law will cause suffering for so many people, including you. Please, Prime Minister Gilbert, don’t do this. You’ll be the one who regrets it the most in the end.

Prime Minister Gilbert, Prime Minister Gilbert, Prime Minister Gilbert, Prime… Mini…

Pri…

 

***

 

“Pride, are you well?”

Stale’s eyebrows knitted together as he peered at me. I shook my head, trying to play off my momentary confusion. Worried, he remarked that I looked pale today, but I tried to casually brush it off.

“I’m fine, Stale. I just didn’t sleep very well last night.”

“What did you dream about, Big Sister? If you had a nightmare, you should tell us.” This time, it was Tiara gazing at me fretfully.

“Thank you. I believe I did, but unfortunately, I don’t remember much,” I said. “Maybe it was because I had trouble falling asleep.”

The conversation between Father and Prime Minister Gilbert had replayed in my mind as I tried to fall asleep. I’d tossed and turned for some time before drifting off, but the next thing I could remember was waking up. By the time I awoke, my face was wet with tears and I had no idea why.

“Was it about Gilbert?” Stale whispered, perceptive as always. I nodded my head just a little.

After eavesdropping on that conversation yesterday, Stale and I teleported away and met back up with Tiara. We swore to each other that we’d never tell what we’d heard. Still, Prime Minister Gilbert’s desperate cries clung to my thoughts.

Plus, there was that horrible memory… I’d experienced a similar sensation with Arthur. The moment I remembered one critical detail about him, more hit me like a wave. Now I had to contend with all this new information about the prime minister. This would be a lot harder than it was with Arthur. Gilbert Butler wasn’t merely the prime minister—he was also a love interest in ORL.

He wasn’t just any romanceable character either. You could only unlock his route by finishing every other route in the game. Whereas Stale excelled in scheming, Prime Minister Gilbert was a master tactician. When it came to deception, information gathering, and enacting plans, no one could match him. In the game, he gathered all the love interests and Tiara to take on Pride, the only person he couldn’t manipulate.

For a romanceable character, Gilbert’s route was somewhat unique. It wasn’t a shock that I’d forgotten he was romanceable. Besides being hidden, his route also contained almost no actual romance. Every other love interest shared at least a kiss with Tiara, but Gilbert never did more than kiss the back of her hand. There was no love confession, no grand gestures. He didn’t seem to pursue Tiara at all. In fact, the sheltered Tiara herself had to pull him along, imploring him to show her the place he found most beautiful in the whole world.

Additionally, his route was short. With so little content, it felt more like a side story than a full-fledged route, probably because it was a secret route. Not to mention, well, Gilbert appeared far older than any other love interest. Incidentally, he looked completely different than he did in the game, even more so than Arthur.

In the game, we got occasional glimpses of Prime Minister Gilbert’s thirteen-year-old self. He appeared as the mysterious boy, “Gil,” and he gradually revealed his true identity and the darkness lurking in his heart due to his tragic past. Though his route contained mere crumbs of romance, his past alone was incredibly detailed.

Prime Minister Gilbert was born into a life of poverty. In Freesia, however, one could climb the social ladder if they had a special power. Gilbert’s was “age control,” and between that and his extreme work ethic and talents, he overcame the circumstances of his birth to make it all the way to the rank of prime minister.

All of it was just to be with her.

His fiancée.

She was always a sickly girl. She fell ill a few years after Gilbert was made prime minister. Her symptoms grew from difficulty breathing and constant body chills all the way to loss of mobility in her arms and legs. This rare disease existed only in Freesia. The queen and prince consort agreed to help hide the woman deep within the castle while Gilbert searched frantically for a cure.

Two years later, when the queen and prince consort died in the game, Pride took over as the new queen and learned of the sheltered fiancée. That was when she forged a deal with Gilbert, the same deal that forced him to take on the additional duties of prince consort. Alongside Stale, Gilbert ended up largely responsible for governing the kingdom while Pride enjoyed a life of luxury. Five years later, Pride kept her promise to enact Gilbert’s bill into law, but the very next day, his fiancée died.

That was only the beginning of his suffering.

Pride used Gilbert’s law to abuse her citizens’ special powers. She enacted an even more severe law, one that resulted in mass bloodshed throughout the kingdom.

Bereft of his love, Prime Minister Gilbert languished in a state of shock. His special power bounced him between only two stages of life—an old man and the thirteen-year-old boy who’d first met his fiancée.

Unlocking the secret route gave the player one new choice at the beginning—to have Tiara flee from the solitary tower where Pride had imprisoned her. Tiara would escape through a window using a makeshift rope of curtains and bedsheets, then encounter the enigmatic “Gil.” With his help, she’d make it to the town beyond the castle and learn about Gil in the meantime. This all unlocked one new ending cutscene in which Tiara smiled at Gil as he transformed into his true age once again.

Some fans theorized that Gil loved Tiara because she reminded him of his fiancée, the only other person to call him “Gil.” Tiara overlooked his social status and showed him compassion unrestrained by social conventions.

At the end of the route, Gil said: “After everything that happened, I never even found anyone with a special power that could cure diseases.”

Tiara clutched at the hem of his shirt, eyes shining with tears. Though striking, the scene made me think more of siblings or a parent and child than lovers. I could also imagine it as a subtle, mature romance if I really tried.

Having all of this information suddenly at my disposal, I knew I had to buy as much time as I could to save Prime Minister Gilbert’s fiancée. If things went the way they did in the game, she would die five years after Mother and Father perished on the day the law passed.

That was this year.

I gulped. I’d only gone to the lawmaking assembly twice, including this year. Still, I understood that even if a law passed the assembly, there was lag time. The government had to inform the citizens, and there would be preparations to carry out. Then the law could be ratified at last. The whole process took somewhere between a week and a month.

With the assembly going on just yesterday, I had one month at the most to save Prime Minister Gilbert’s fiancée. But I could have as little as a week. Judging by what I’d heard, his fiancée didn’t have much time left to begin with.

“What’s going on?” Tiara asked, snapping me out of my thoughts. “I keep hearing something loud coming from the castle.”

She was right. When I focused, I picked up the loud footsteps of maids, butlers, and servants mixed with voices calling out for someone. It was strange to hear the castle, much less the royal residence where we spent our days, so active.

“Pride! Stale! Tiara!”

Father rushed toward us, out of breath and flanked by guards. He was usually alone when he met us, so his entourage was alarming.

“Father. What’s going on?” I said.

“Gilbert,” he panted, raising his head to look at us. “Have you seen Prime Minister Gilbert?”

Prime Minister Gilbert?! Oh no. What’s happened since yesterday?

I hadn’t seen him, of course, nor had Stale or Tiara. Father sighed and shook his head.

“I see,” he said. “Listen, I want the three of you to go back to your rooms right away.”

He ordered his guards to escort us as we exchanged confused glances.

“Father, what’s the matter?” Stale piped up. “What’s happened with Prime Minister Gilbert?” The boy’s eyes narrowed a bit when he addressed the prime minister by his title.

“He’s been missing since this morning,” Father replied. “He’s not anywhere inside the castle. Everyone’s looking for him right now.”

I see. I silently nodded back at Father.

“Of course,” he went on, “it’s always possible he left on his own without permission. Anyway, until we know what’s happened, or until he returns, you are not to leave your bedrooms.”

I understood Father’s caution. A missing prime minister could mean a trespasser or even a kidnapping. Still, I called out, “Father! Please let Stale and Tiara stay in my room with me!”

“I’m worried about her,” Stale said.

“I’d feel better with my big brother and sister,” Tiara added.

Their instant commiseration helped sway Father, and I whispered my thanks as the guards ushered us on. Naturally, the security was much tighter than usual, as three members of the royal family were all gathered in one place.

We reached my bedroom. Ten guards stood outside my window, while our usual guards were posted outside the door. Thankfully, they let us be alone inside my room at least, even though my maids, Mary and Lotte, and my personal guard, Jack, stayed with us.

My heavy curtains were all pulled shut, and the room felt unbearably stuffy. Stale, Tiara, and I sat down on the carpet to write out messages atop thick books in place of tabletops. It was our best shot at communicating unobstructed.

“Big Brother, did I do the right thing by not telling Father you were able to teleport to Prime Minister Gilbert?” Tiara wrote.

Stale, his face expressionless, scribbled a response. “Yes, thank you for keeping your promise, Tiara. Thank you too, Pride.” We both nodded and smiled.

The three of us, along with Arthur, had made a promise. Arthur had also vowed that day to keep Stale’s secret. “I want to keep a card up my sleeve in case I ever need it,” Stale had told us.

“What should I do now, Pride?” Stale wrote. In other words, he wanted to know if he should use his special power to find Gilbert.

I thought for a bit, then wrote back, “Let’s see how things go.”

If someone had abducted Prime Minister Gilbert, the guards should take care of that instead of a bunch of kids. Maybe they’d even call in the knights. But the prime minister might have left of his own volition, and with good reason. If we intervened, we could make things worse for him. Stale and Tiara both nodded when they read my message.

“I really hope Prime Minister Gilbert is okay,” Tiara wrote.

Tiara’s handwriting lacked its usual strength. Even her face was clouded with sadness. But Stale didn’t hesitate in scribbling out a response.

“Me too. But I’m also worried he could be up to no good.”

That was Stale for you—never going easy on the man. Still, he could be right. Prime Minister Gilbert had acted beyond strange and suspicious yesterday.

Tiara, not knowing what Stale and I had done, cocked her head and murmured in confusion. Stale looked at me before revealing anything to our sister. We hadn’t told her at first, but she was a princess, after all. She deserved an explanation. I nodded at Stale, and he began writing it all out. Tiara trailed his words with her eyes.

I was touched that the two of them deferred to me for this kind of decision. They often followed my lead without question, leaving decisions up to me—just like they had when I’d suggested we all stick together in one room. I knew they’d put just as much care into listening to our citizens if one of them took the throne someday.

By contrast, the Pride of the game world never listened to anyone around her. She commanded everything—taxes, executions, wars, alliances, disputes, punishments, laws. If she’d just been willing to listen to the people around her, people like Stale and Prime Minister Gilbert…

Wait!

A dreadful, dreadful chill shivered through me. My hands started to tremble before I even knew why.

She decided everything by herself…

All of my previous assumptions were collapsing. A cold sweat prickled on my neck.

Prime Minister Gilbert’s fiancée died the day after the Special Power Registration Law went into effect. He also formed his promise with Pride on the day of the assembly five years earlier. Then that meant…

AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!

I whipped my head up, slapped my hands over my mouth, and froze in place. Stale and Tiara leaned in toward me, trying to get me to tell them what was wrong, but I couldn’t respond even if I wanted to.

That’s right! The evil, selfish last boss queen would never listen to anyone else’s opinion or care how she hurt her people. If she wanted someone killed, they’d be killed on the spot. If she wanted to dissolve an alliance, it would be gone that very day. If she wanted war, preparations would start the same afternoon. That’s the kind of queen she—no, I—was. A queen like that wouldn’t bother waiting a whole month or even a week. If she made up her mind to pass that law, it would get enacted the same day. Even if that terrible law that haunted the prime minister was agreed to outside the conference, it would go into effect on the spot! But that means…

Prime Minister Gilbert’s fiancée was going to die today.

 

***

 

“So this is the local town…”

Standing atop a building with the wind rustling my long, crimson coat, I could see the entire settlement beyond the castle grounds. I’d seen the town from my carriage before, but that view didn’t compare to getting this close.

“Pride, this should be a safe spot to observe from. Here, get down a little,” Stale said, tugging on my hand.

Seeing as my outfit was so loud, Stale was right to caution me to stay hidden. I’d covered my face with a cloth, but the color of my clothing still stood out compared to Stale’s black uniform. I crouched down beside him, ensuring that cloth covered most of my face.

After my revelation, I’d apologized to my concerned siblings and excused my actions as a premonition—Prime Minister Gilbert was trying to save his fiancée, Marianne, but she was going to die today.

Stale quickly teleported to confirm the prime minister’s location, then Lotte and Mary helped me change into clothes better suited to movement. Stale changed as well, teleporting out to his training room only to return in his black uniform and wielding two fencing practice blades.

We had to get Lotte, Mary, and the guard, Jack, to let us sneak out of the room. But it was hard explaining how we could reach Prime Minister Gilbert without revealing the secret trick to Stale’s power. In the end, we simply said we couldn’t explain right now. Jack dug in his heels at first, but Tiara agreed to stay behind, and I promised to stick with Stale.

Eventually, with all three of us begging, Jack relented. That was no small concession. If something happened to us or we ended up in trouble, Jack would be the one in the biggest trouble. He knew that even better than me, but I swore to myself I’d find a way to reward him, to reward all three of them, once we resolved this issue with Prime Minister Gilbert.

“Whatever you say, Your Highness, we’ll always believe you,” Lotte and Mary said.

I could never repay their kindness. Not only were they taking a risk for me, but Mary and Lotte had even given me a handmade battle uniform to wear, one they’d sewn a week or so after the accolade per Tiara’s request. It consisted of shorts over leggings and a long red coat that covered me from neck to toe. It reminded me of Arthur’s knight uniform. Stale’s was a different color, but both outfits resembled knight’s uniforms from the main forces. Even Arthur was quite surprised when he saw them for the first time.

When Stale and I readied to leave the bedroom, I lingered for a moment. I implored Lotte, Mary, Jack, and Tiara to try to explain if someone came looking for us. They would say I’d forced them to do this by threatening them. While all four looked uncomfortable with this notion, they did eventually comply, and Stale and I swore we’d return soon.

Then we’d vanished, only to reappear on this roof.

“Pride, do you see that?” Stale pointed, and I looked down to find none other than Prime Minister Gilbert, surrounded by a group of outlaws.

“Gilbert was alone when I first teleported here,” Stale whispered.

That meant the men must have gathered in only the few minutes between Stale’s discovery and our return to this roof.

“So, we can have anything we want if we find the special power you’re after?” one of the outlaws asked.

While Prime Minister Gilbert dressed like us, with a long robe and a face covering, many of the men around him wore only pants. It left their muscular chests exposed. At a glance, they appeared to be hard men, the sort who lived tough lives and got in their fair share of fights along the way.

“That’s right,” Prime Minister Gilbert said. “If I can deliver it, it’s yours.”

The men got right to the point, demanding proof of payment, and Prime Minister Gilbert showed them a small bag of jangling coins. Smiles and chuckles rippled through the group as the men beheld a sum that could likely change their lives out here in the streets.

“I’ll vouch for this guy,” one of the outlaws said. “He always pays up since he’s a big shot up in the castle.”

A man with tattoos curling down both arms barked out a laugh, plucking a cigar from his mouth to say, “But this time, it’s a real chunk o’ change.” He looked like the kind of guy who would’ve worked in a flashy underground casino in my past life.

“This money goes to the first person to bring me someone with the special power I seek,” Prime Minister Gilbert said. “If you require any reward other than money, I will arrange that as well.”

He then stowed the bag of coins back inside his robes.

“I’ll leave the details up to you,” he continued. “I don’t care about your means. Even if you obtain the information in some unsavory ways, it’s no concern to me. If you can deliver, you’ll get your money.”

I see. So this was his plan. I had to hand it to him—the outlaws might have the knowledge and connections to get the job done. Plus, they weren’t restricted by the law. The prime minister had stated quite clearly that he didn’t care how they got the information, even if they had to resort to something like human trafficking. I clenched my fists and watched the men press Prime Minister Gilbert for more information on the power he sought.

“I seek a special power that will cure diseases,” he said. “Whoever brings me the owner of such a power will have whatever reward he requests.”

The outlaws burst into laughter, clutching their sides before the prime minister even finished his offer.

“Bwa ha ha ha! Aha ha ha ha ha ha!”

“What’s so funny?!” Prime Minister Gilbert demanded, but no one quieted down.

“The power to cure diseases?! What fairy tale did you lift that from?!”

“This guy sure acts big for someone tryin’ to chase down ghosts!”

“You sure you don’t mean someone who can heal wounds, Mr. Big Shot? Or is this request coming from the famous Little Miss Bossy Princess up in the castle?”

The prime minister’s hands shook with rage. Honestly, I didn’t entirely disagree with the men mocking him. Many of those with special powers could heal wounds, but curing diseases was different. We had no records of such a power even existing, confining it mostly to the realm of rumor and fiction. It was like asking for a wizard instead of a palm reading.

“You won’t even attempt it?!” Prime Minister Gilbert said.

The tattooed man raised his eyebrows. “Are you tellin’ me the power you’ve been after all this time is the power to cure diseases? Come on, you can’t be serious about this.”

Some of the outlaws had left altogether; others were still chuckling to themselves.

“If you won’t help me look, then we’re finished here,” Prime Minister Gilbert said. “I’ll take my business elsewhere!” He turned on his heel and started striding away.

“Wait a minute,” one man cut in. “You made us come all the way out here, so leave that bag here before you go.” He grinned, toothy and sharp as a knife. The tattooed man just shook his head and walked off.

“Certainly not. This is reward money, and you haven’t earned it.” Prime Minister Gilbert set his feet and clenched his jaw in the face of the muscular ruffian, refusing to back down. But the man raised a fist and someone shouted “Get ’im!” and Prime Minister Gilbert…

…didn’t even flinch.

He dodged the punch almost casually, then grabbed the man’s wrist and flung him through the air. The man struck a wall with a heavy thud. The rest of the outlaws froze in shock after witnessing the prime minister flick aside a man three times his size.

I’d never witnessed the prime minister fighting, but I couldn’t say I was shocked. A man in his position certainly had to study self-defense. And he was such a hard worker that he definitely hadn’t slacked off in that regard.

Now, with barely a glance toward the man groaning on the ground, Prime Minister Gilbert turned and headed for the mouth of the alley.

“Why, you…!”

Another man rushed at him, brandishing a knife. He leapt at the prime minister, who slapped the knife out of the man’s hand with a quick strike. He followed up with a knee straight to the solar plexus, and the man doubled over in pain, sinking to the floor.

“I’m in a hurry,” Prime Minister Gilbert said coldly. “I don’t have time to fight you one by one. If you’re serious, then come at me together, or don’t come at all!”

The men held back a moment, sharing confused glances. Then they roared, charging together. Prime Minister Gilbert knocked out man after man, clearly taking out his anger and frustration on the hapless outlaws. He kneed another in the gut, then chopped a man’s neck to send him reeling.

Amazing. I bet these men are stronger than the ambushers I defeated at the cliffs two years ago.

“You bastard!”

Only three men remained. One was stirring on the ground, grabbing at Prime Minister Gilbert’s legs. He hugged his ankles, forcing Prime Minister Gilbert to strike downward. But as he did, the two remaining men rushed him, knives in hand.

“Stale!” I cried.

As soon as I grabbed Stale’s hand and squeezed, he teleported us directly above the men. We plummeted down on top of them, throwing them to the ground with us. I grabbed one man’s arms, while Stale held his blade at the other’s throat, preventing him from moving.

“What are you doing here?!” Prime Minister Gilbert gasped.

“We came here to find you,” Stale said coolly. “I could ask what you were up to, but that won’t be necessary.” Stale struck one attacker as he spoke, knocking him out. Then he choked the man I’d immobilized until he fell unconscious too.

“Why are you dressed like that?!” Prime Minister Gilbert said. “How did you know where I was?”

“My elder sister had a vision, and I searched every alley with my teleportation until I found you.” Stale brushed the dust from his clothes and lied to Prime Minister Gilbert as easily as taking a breath. He then pushed his glasses up and shot a piercing glare at the prime minister. “She told me she had something to say to you, so I brought her here with me.”

Even with cloth covering his mouth, Prime Minister Gilbert went pale. “Wait just a moment,” he said. “I apologize for fleeing the castle and involving myself with this group of scoundrels! I’ll accept punishment for my actions, if necessary. But please, I beg of you, grant me time. I need more time!” He shrank back as he talked, perhaps trying to get out of Stale’s range.

“Prime Minister, please calm down and listen to me,” I said. “I had a premonition. Your fiancée, Marianne, is going to pass away today.”

Prime Minister Gilbert halted, all the blood draining from his face. Then he rushed toward me, forgetting his fear.

“Even if your Special Power Registration Law went into effect or you convinced outlaws to help you, you still wouldn’t find the special power you need in time,” I told him.

Perhaps it was cruel to lay out the truth so bluntly, but I needed him to understand. In the game, his law never turned up a single person who could cure diseases.

“How do you know that?” he asked.

“It’s my precognition. I’ve seen it.”

Prime Minister Gilbert tried to grab my shoulders, but Stale thrust his sword between us, keeping him back. “Don’t touch my sister, you brute.” Stale’s voice was just as sharp as his blade. He positioned himself between us with his sword at Prime Minister Gilbert’s neck.

“Marianne…” Prime Minister Gilbert murmured, withering to the ground.

“Prime Minister, please calm down and listen to m—”

“Prince Stale!” he interjected. “Please teleport me back to the castle! Hurry! If you don’t, I won’t be able to see her!”

Even as Stale threatened him with his sword, Prime Minister Gilbert ignored my entreaties and begged for help.

Stale glared down, unmoved. “You tried to change the kingdom’s laws for personal gain, abandoned your post as Father’s assistant without permission, left the castle to commune with criminals, ordered them to search by any means…”

Stale sneered, not an iota of mercy in his cold face. “You even offered them gifts on top of the money. What if, in exchange for the power to cure diseases, they’d asked for top-secret information? What if they were after Mother, Father, me, Tiara…or even Elder Sister? Would you have even hesitated to give them what they wanted, Gilbert?” Stale narrowed his eyes, the tip of his sword pressing harder against the hollow of Prime Minister Gilbert’s throat. I called out for him, but Stale ignored me as well.

“There’s so much more I want to say to you,” he went on. “But let me ask you one thing. You said you wanted to return to the castle. Will you confess to your crimes and return as a criminal? I’d be happy to teleport you to the dungeon. Or are you going to deny your crimes and get off with a scolding from Father? If so, you’ll have to walk back to the castle. If your fiancée is the cause of all your evil, then I could—”

“Stale!” I raised my voice, refusing to be ignored this time.

Stale’s shoulders lurched, as if he’d just realized what he was saying. He pressed his fingers to the frame of his glasses, then finally faced me. Anger tightened his lips and jaw, but something shimmered in his eyes. Seeing his expression, I nearly backed away from him.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Gilbert waited, frozen and clenching his fists. He murmured “Marianne” over and over in a hoarse, trembling voice.

“Why, Pride? Why are you showing this man mercy?” Stale said.

Leather groaned as he tightened his grip on his sword. The slightest twitch could end the prime minister here and now. I moved cautiously, touching Stale’s hand to encourage him to lower his blade.

What should I do? Those eyes, that look… I remember them from the game. He looks just like he did when Pride ordered him to kill his mother.

“Why?!” Stale said. “He was willing to sacrifice you and anyone else! He didn’t even care if he destroyed the kingdom or snuffed out people’s lives in the process.”

“I’m sorry, Stale,” I said. “But Prime Minister Gilbert is—”

“I’ll tell you what this man is,” Stale shouted over me. “He’s a liar and a snake! This whole time, he’s been one of the grown-ups trying to manipulate you and push you out of the way! This whole time, he…” Stale trailed off and clenched his teeth, clearly holding back tears.

I couldn’t bear to see him like that. I reached out, gently pulling him into a hug and stroking his hair when he leaned against me.

“I’m sorry, Stale,” I said. “But I love all the people of my kingdom, including him.”

When he heard that, Stale dropped his sword with a loud clang and squeezed me tightly.

“That man… He’s been hurting you. For years, he’s been damaging you and your reputation over and over and over again. You just didn’t know it. It’s all his fault.”

I held Stale through his confession, spoken in a voice choked with tears. Suddenly, it all made sense. He hated Prime Minister Gilbert for my sake.

“Thank you, Stale. All this time, you’ve been protecting me in ways I never even knew, haven’t you?”

Stale didn’t respond, but his arms went slack around me. When he finally pulled away, the poison of anger had drained from his body. He removed his fogged-up glasses to scrub at his eyes.

“I’m sorry,” he muttered.

Thank goodness. He’s back to normal.

I turned back to Prime Minister Gilbert and found him collapsed on the ground. When I crouched beside him, I could hear him still whispering the name “Marianne.”

“Prime Minister, we’re going to use Stale’s power to send you—”

“Your Highness.” He jerked up and grabbed my arm.

Stale instantly stepped in close, but I shook my head to hold him back.

“I’m prepared to accept punishment,” Prime Minister Gilbert said. “But as for Marianne…”

I knew where this was going already: “Please don’t let her name be sullied as well.” He latched on to me, his composure fully broken as tears clung to the corners of his eyes, which were wild with desperation. Normally composed and cool, he was now gripped by a sort of madness—a frantic, flailing urgency. I wasn’t sure I could reach him, but I had to try. Grief had stripped him of his usual capacity for reason.

“Listen to me, Gilbert Butler,” I said.

I cupped his face and made him look me in the eyes. He seemed prepared for a death sentence, but he met my gaze steadfastly.

“I won’t be punishing you or your fiancée.”

“What…?” He blinked, mouth hanging open.

“However, there will be conditions. I want you to take us to your fiancée, and you must follow my every order while you do.”

He nodded as I spoke, never taking those almond-shaped eyes off of me.

“Stale, teleport the prime minister to the castle, then take the two of us back to my bedroom. Prime Minister, as soon as you’ve informed the castle officials that you’re safe, come to my room.”

He steeled himself, continuing to nod his assent. Stale furrowed his brow, but he reached out to the prime minister and teleported him back to the castle. Once he returned, he wiped his palm on his jacket before taking my hand.

“I apologize for my actions earlier,” he said, looking down at the ground.

I set a hand upon his cheek, drawing his gaze back up. “I appreciate that you were concerned for my sake.”

He swallowed, eyes darting to the side as a shy smile stole across his lips. I understood his anger, even if I didn’t know all the details. He had every right to hate Prime Minister Gilbert, but with my memories of ORL, I couldn’t help but sympathize with the prime minister’s misfortune. The man had already suffered more than Stale could ever know.

I squeezed Stale’s hand, and he returned the gesture. The very next instant, the view before my eyes switched from the alleyway to my bedroom.

“Your Highness!”

“Big Sister! Big Brother!”

Lotte, Mary, Jack, and Tiara cried out the second we reappeared.

“I’m sorry to have frightened you all, but we’re safe and sound.”

I gave Tiara a hug and smiled at the others. All four returned the gesture with obvious relief.

“How is Prime Minister Gilbert?” Tiara asked.

Before I could answer, a commotion sounded just outside the door.

“Prime Minister?! Where have you been?!”

“Wait a moment, Prime Minister! We’ve been searching for you!”

Footsteps stomped toward my room. I ran for the door just as Jack threw it open. Prime Minister Gilbert stood panting for breath just outside my room, flanked by wide-eyed guards.

“Princess Pride!” Prime Minister Gilbert cried out.

“The prime minister has made it back safely,” I announced, loud enough for everyone to hear. “Then, just as Father instructed, the rest of us can now leave this room!”

The moment those words left my lips, Stale and I bolted. I grabbed the prime minister’s hand and dragged him away with us.

“Stale, teleport me somewhere,” I said. “While I’m gone, have Prime Minister Gilbert take you to Marianne. Come back for me as soon as you make it there.”

“Understood. But, Pride, where are you going?”

I notified Stale of my destination, but I didn’t have time to explain. In the game, Gil said his fiancée died “with the last rays of sunlight.” Through the windows, the sunset burned along the horizon, lighting the sky in flares of red. We didn’t have much time.

“But why there of all places?!” Stale shouted.

The prime minister had no time for our debate. “This way, Prince Stale!” He ran off in the opposite direction.

Stale clicked his tongue and linked his hand with mine.

“I’m sorry, Stale. I’m always asking so much of you…” I knew how little Stale wanted to work with the prime minister, but I had no choice.

He just smiled in return. “Nonsense. I haven’t even begun to serve you. Ask me for anything, Pride. It would be an honor to do whatever you need.”

I swallowed, processing his generous offer. Anything I need. I couldn’t possibly take him up on that; I’d already asked for so much. But he just stood there smiling, his expression as gentle as moonlight.

Then he teleported me away.

“Commander! Vice Commander!”

I started shouting for the men the moment I appeared on the training grounds.

“Princess Pride?!” They whipped around, regarding me with wide eyes. I couldn’t blame them; I’d appeared out of nowhere.

“I’m sorry to bother you during your training,” I told them.

“Y-Your Highness, what are you wearing?” the commander blurted. No knight had a uniform quite like mine. But I couldn’t dally in order to explain the red coat and leggings.

“I’ll tell you later. Commander, Vice Commander…”

I scanned all the practicing knights, but they were too far away to tell apart. I needed the commander and vice commander to tell me who was here today. And, more importantly, I needed their permission for what would come next.

“Where’s Arthur?” I asked. “There’s an emergency, and I need his help right away. Please find him as quickly as—”

“ARTHUR BERESFORD!”

Before I could finish, Commander Roderick’s shout boomed through the training grounds. He could have summoned a dragon off a mountaintop with a voice like that.

Both Vice Commander Clark and I covered our ears. The knights, who were practicing hand-to-hand combat, abruptly halted. One of them called out, “Here!”

Arthur emerged from the pack, jogging toward us with his long silver ponytail swaying behind him. The commander kept his arms crossed as he and the vice commander stepped away, giving me space to address Arthur alone.

“Princess Pride?!” Arthur said. “Why are you…”

I grabbed his hand before he could protest, dragging him farther away from the training grounds. “I’ll be borrowing Arthur for a bit!” I yelled over my shoulder.

“P-Princess Pride, your hand!”

I ignored Arthur’s flustered stuttering, pulling him into a hidden passage behind a weapons storage shed. A flush lit Arthur’s face, perhaps because I’d yanked him along so quickly.

“Um…Your Highness…what is it that you need from me?”

His eyes kept flickering downward, and when I followed his gaze I saw that I still held his hand. I dropped it with a jerk.

“Arthur, I need your help. I have to save somebody. But to do that, I…I’ll have to change your life forever. I don’t know if it will be for better or worse, though.”

I felt horribly selfish even suggesting this plan, risking Arthur’s future without knowing the outcome. But still…

“Please, Arthur Beresford, I need your help.”

Arthur’s blue eyes widened as I made my plea. “What are you talking about?”

I couldn’t blame him for his hesitance. Arthur had only just achieved his dream of becoming a knight. Now I was literally and figuratively dragging him away from that, expecting him to drop everything to help me.

“You already changed my life a long time ago,” he said. Then he dropped to one knee before me, gazing up into my eyes. “I’m your knight, my princess. You can order me however you wish. I’d offer you everything, including my life.”

He accepted my request without even knowing what it is. I wanted to drop down into his arms and cry.

“Arthur, you—”

“Pride!” I spun as Stale called out for me. I knew him instantly—even though he looked completely different.

“S-Stale?!”

My voice came out as a squeak. Stale had grown. A lot. This wasn’t the boy I’d seen just moments earlier but the seventeen-year-old Stale I knew from the game ORL. The black uniform he’d worn earlier now looked a bit too tight, and his voice was deeper than before. It felt like I was watching a glitch in the program.

“I’ll explain later,” he said. “There’s no time.”

Stale, now even taller than Arthur, urged us on. When I glanced past his shoulders I saw why—the red of sunset was rapidly deepening to purple.

I have to explain everything to Arthur before we run out of time! Even as I thought it, Arthur squeezed my hand. Then he reached out for Stale as well.

“Stale, what’re you waitin’ for? Let’s go!”

I hadn’t even explained where we were going or why, yet Arthur pushed us to hurry. The moment Stale took his hand, we blinked away…and into the room where Marianne slept.

“Marianne… No, no… Please…”

A beautiful woman lay in a crisp white bed. Prime Minister Gilbert clung to her hand, hunching over the bed as he sobbed. Near the bed, three maids stood looking at the floor, averting their eyes from the grieving prime minister.

It was like she was already dead. Her eyes were open but stared up at the ceiling unseeing. They were the same peach color as her hair, a soft hue like the first light of morning. But her limbs lay limp, and her chest rose in shallow, fitful gasps. Her skin lacked color or heat, ghostly pale now. Her lips moved, but if she attempted to speak, it was not audible.

“Your Highness, what’s going on?” Arthur asked.

“That’s Gilbert and his fiancée,” Stale explained from behind me.

Arthur gazed between me and the woman on the bed, bewildered. I longed to explain, but we had so little time remaining.

“Arthur, I want you to touch that woman, Marianne,” I said.

Still holding his hand, I led him toward the bed.

Arthur blinked rapidly. “Huh?”

“Your special power isn’t limited to plants,” I said quickly. “In fact, you possess something much greater.”

Prime Minister Gilbert, still clutching his fiancée’s hand, noticed our approach at last. Tears streamed down his cheeks, but a glimmer of hope lit his eyes as we stepped close.

“You have the power to cure disease!”

Arthur didn’t hesitate. The moment I spoke, he dropped my hand and rushed to Marianne’s side. He placed one hand on top of hers and then grabbed her frail arm with his other hand.

Beyond the windows, the sun had set.

“Ah… Ah…”

Suddenly, Marianne lurched upward. She took a slow, gasping breath, as if she’d finally, finally emerged from underwater. With deep gulps, she dragged in lungfuls of air that expanded her thin chest. After years of lying paralyzed, she found Prime Minister Gilbert beside her and clasped his hand.

“It can’t be!” a maid cried out.

“It’s not possible!” said another.

“It’s a miracle!”

Little by little, Marianne moved her body. The stiff motions gradually smoothed as color returned to her pallid face. Her shoulders relaxed as her breathing evened out.

“Maria…”

The prime minister cradled her hand against his chest. His voice trembled, but no longer from fear and despondency.

“Gil.” With lips barely regaining any color, Marianne smiled over at Prime Minister Gilbert. “I’m…so…happy,” she said, voice thin from disuse.

Prime Minister Gilbert surged up to wrap her in his arms, squeezing her against his chest. He buried his face in her shoulder, racked with sobs as he held his beloved. Years of pent-up pain and anxiety and anguish rushed out in a cathartic flow of tears.

His body sagged, overcome with emotion, but he never let go of Marianne. Years of suffering released all at once, and he murmured her name, apologized, and thanked God over and over as he held Marianne. She soon joined him, clinging to him just as tightly as the tears tracked down her cheeks.

Arthur stood frozen, still holding Marianne’s hand. He seemed too shocked by the outpouring to dislodge himself. Not to mention…he was seeing the true strength of his special power for the first time.

Arthur Beresford—the boy with the power to cure any disease.

During the game, when Arthur learned the horrifying truth of the cliff collapse incident from Pride, he escaped into the pouring rain. Tiara, the heroine, approached him there and caught a cold the next day as a result. She ended up confined to her bed with a terrible fever. When Arthur visited her, he set a hand gently against her forehead and her fever subsided immediately, revealing the truth of his power.

Arthur’s special power was incredibly rare and just as valuable—probably even more valuable than the precognition that ran in the royal family. His divine hands could cure the diseases of humans, plants, and animals with a single touch.

Technically, he wasn’t supposed to learn this for five more years, after he’d had more time to grow as a person. I’d accelerated the timeline by bringing him here today, but I couldn’t say I regretted it.

Eventually, Marianne looked up from where she wept atop the prime minister. She turned to Arthur, who was still clutching her hand, while Prime Minister Gilbert gently supported her slender back. Marianne glanced at the place where Arthur held her hand, then up at his face, then back down again.

“You did this?” she asked.

Arthur just averted his eyes and nodded. Marianne struggled to sit up a little more with Prime Minister Gilbert supporting her. She set her free hand atop Arthur’s.

“Thank you!” A fresh wave of tears spilled down her cheeks as she gazed up at her savior. “I get to see Gil again. Thank you for saving Gil—and me.”

Marianne thanked Arthur over and over. Even Prime Minister Gilbert bowed his head in gratitude. Arthur merely gaped at the weeping couple. A single tear fell from his eye.

“Pride.” Stale, still in his older form, called my name quietly from beside me.

“Stale, I can’t thank you enough,” I said, taking his large hand.

“What are you talking about?” He laughed, squeezing my hand. “I simply do whatever you wish. You’re the one who made this happen.”

This older version of Stale was as beautiful as a work of art from up close. His smile set my heart fluttering in my chest. He slowly bent his long legs to kneel before me.

“Was I able to grant your wish?”

The rest of him looked older, but the eyes that gazed into mine were exactly the same as the twelve-year-old Stale I knew.

“Of course you did.”

I leapt into his arms. It was as if I were the younger sibling now. I fit perfectly against his chest as I hugged him tight.

“This body isn’t so bad, huh?”

Stale’s face felt a bit warm up close. I was probably squeezing him too hard. I put some space between us to peer up at him, and he chuckled.

“So, Stale, what exactly happened to you?” I said, stepping back.

Stale adjusted his glasses, which I’d knocked askew with my hug. “Gilbert did it,” he grumbled. He went on to explain that the twelve-year-old Stale simply couldn’t keep up when Prime Minister Gilbert charged toward Marianne’s room. In frustration, the prime minister used his special power to age Stale up so he could run faster.

“How amazing. I didn’t know he could alter the ages of other people as well,” I said. In the game, Tiara left the castle early on to live in secret in the local village—and in his route, Prime Minister Gilbert aged her up to thirteen to help hide her.

“Well, just their ages. He can’t control other people’s life spans, he said. Just his own.”

“You’ll go back to normal, right?”

“Yes, once Gilbert changes me back,” he said.

So in theory, Prime Minister Gilbert could keep Stale at any age he liked. What an incredible power. Maybe that’s why… Pain prickled in my chest. Did the extraordinary rarity of his own power convince Prime Minister Gilbert that he could find others? Is that what drove his belief that he could save Marianne?

Prime Minister Gilbert could be terrifyingly single-minded. He had a powerful motivation, a singular determination that could not be knocked off course. He’d climbed the ranks of government at a young age to make Marianne happy. But when she fell ill, he turned all that ambition toward her cure—even if it came at the cost of everyone else in the kingdom.

The Prime Minister Gilbert from the game probably never became so reckless, considering the five-year deal he made with Pride. In ORL, he must have lived every day believing Pride would soon save Marianne, only to meet the ultimate despair when that didn’t happen.

Perhaps that too was all part of Pride’s plan. If she knew from precognition that Marianne would die in five years, she probably set the time frame specifically for that moment of crushing defeat for Prime Minister Gilbert. She was more than capable of that kind of cruelty. In fact, plotting out a scheme like that probably amused her, as though this were all just a game.

After all, Pride did the same sorts of things to Stale and Arthur. She—I—loved to watch people suffer. The mere fact that I could follow her train of thought was all the proof I needed that we were one and the same.

When she worked her wickedness on Prime Minister Gilbert, she changed him as a person. Having to watch the woman he loved suffer while he remained powerless for years corrupted his heart irreparably.

That didn’t mean I approved of his crimes, of course. But at least now I understood how he could spend seven years frantically searching for a solution by any means necessary.

Still, in the game, his actions caused massive bloodshed. And all it got him in the end was a life of mourning, regret, and suffering. Once Pride enacted his law, the citizens came forward with their powers—and Pride used them. Those with special powers either died or became the queen’s slaves. She would not stand for anyone’s abilities outshining her own.

Thus, Prime Minister Gilbert’s noble goals resulted in countless deaths. In his grief, he hid, taking the form of either a thirteen-year-old boy or an old man so he could go unrecognized. Even his fiancée’s final words served only to burden him. He withered under the pain of having caused so much suffering without even saving Marianne in the process.

Despite all this, he did what he could to make amends, repenting through his work as the prime minister, trying to help the people of the kingdom however he could. He gave away all his possessions to the poorest. He hid those with special powers so the queen could not get to them. Through his work, he became beloved by the people; they even helped him hide Tiara when she fled the castle.

Still, he lived like a hermit. If Tiara tried to touch him, he’d recoil, saying, “You mustn’t touch such bloodstained hands.” He worked tirelessly but tortured himself all the while.

“Even when I pass on, I’m sure I won’t get to join her in heaven,” Prime Minister Gilbert said in the game.

I could never come to hate the man. So much tragedy befell him in ORL. Unless you managed to get his romantic route with Tiara, he lived most of his life in the form of an old man and requested execution in the end. The other characters forgave him, but he continued his tireless effort at repentance. Here in this world, where we were all getting a second chance, I simply wanted him to be happy.

Arthur, the only person in the whole kingdom—no, the whole world—who could cure diseases, never fell victim to Pride’s law. He only learned the truth of his abilities when Tiara entered his story route. Unfortunately, that realization came too late for Marianne.

“Your Highness!”

I snapped out of my thoughts as Prime Minister Gilbert stumbled toward me. Stale instantly stepped between us, but I tugged on his sleeve to make him stand down.

“I can’t…I can’t thank you enough.” Prime Minister Gilbert sank to the floor to bow before me and Stale. “If it weren’t for you, I would be… Marianne would be…” His voice wavered, revealing just how close he’d come to heartbreak only moments ago.

“Lift your head, Prime Minister,” I said. “I’m not the one who saved Marianne.”

All I did was show Arthur the true nature of his power. I never could have saved her on my own. But Prime Minister Gilbert didn’t lift his head from the floor before my feet. Instead, he babbled a string of thanks and apologies, emotions tumbling out one after the other. His shoulders shook even more than his voice.

“Prime Minister Gilbert, I haven’t…” I haven’t done anything. I bent to set a hand on his shoulder and he jerked up, his expression twisting into anger.

“I’ve wronged you,” he said. “I’ve wronged you over and over in unforgivable ways.” This wasn’t just about today; that much was clear from the anguish on his face. He was trying to repent for five years’ worth of sins all at once.

I knew he’d spread unkind rumors about me, sullying my reputation throughout the castle. But it wasn’t just me. Those rumors tarnished the entire royal family—and all so he could gain supporters for his bill. By the time I reached eight years old, the rumors were vicious, and he kept on spreading them up to this very day.

Prime Minister Gilbert didn’t just try to sway the castle, though. He held connections with the underworld as well. His job placed him in many courtrooms, which put him in contact with plenty of criminals. He purchased information from them and their ilk, gathering any kernel of knowledge he could about special powers. Meanwhile, he blissfully ignored the human trafficking many of his partners practiced, feigning ignorance so he could continue his search. After all, if someone with the right special power ended up on the black market, he could buy them like a commodity and achieve his end that way.

When Stale and I discovered him in that alley, he was preparing to give those outlaws any information they wanted about the castle’s weaknesses or the royal family so long as they brought him the special power he sought.

Honestly, the more the prime minister continued to confess, the less I wanted to hear it. I didn’t care if people thought poorly of me. Plus, if Prime Minister Gilbert was behind all the rumors about me, it meant they were just that—rumors. Not facts about the character “Pride,” as I feared. Not features that I couldn’t change.

Still, with all of this out in the open now, the full horror of what he’d done finally hit me. Prime minister or not, the punishment for such crimes was death.

“I’m prepared to accept any punishment you bestow upon me,” Prime Minister Gilbert said when he finished his apologies.

I searched for Stale beside me and found him bowing his head, eyes closed. Next, I sought out Marianne. Arthur was helping her sit up in bed, but all the while, she fixed her eyes on Prime Minister Gilbert, bracing even more than him for my judgment.

“Does this mean you’ll leave your fate in my hands?” I asked.

“Absolutely.”

“Very well, then. I had no intention of punishing either of you.”

Prime Minister Gilbert went absolutely still at my words, caught between terror and disbelief.

“However,” I continued, “once you confessed the full scope of your actions, I could no longer let you go free.”

“Of course!” he replied instantly, seeming ready to die if that was what I asked of him.

“Gilbert Butler.” I tightened my grip on his shoulder. For an instant, he reminded me of Arthur from two years ago, his gorgeous face distorted and pleading. “Are you prepared to keep everything that happened today from Mother and Father?”

Prime Minister Gilbert’s eyes flew wide open. “What are you saying?”

“It won’t be easy. The knowledge of your crimes will weigh on you, but you will not be tried for them.” I straightened to gaze around the room. “This order is for Marianne and her maids as well. You’re to forget about everything you heard and saw here today.”

The maids and Marianne merely blinked at me.

“I can’t believe it,” Prime Minister Gilbert said. “Does this mean…you’ll forgive what I’ve done? Even when I’ve resorted to—”

“It’s not forgiveness,” I cut in.

It wasn’t that I couldn’t or wouldn’t sentence him to death. Mother had put me in charge of a few simple trials after I punished Val for his attacks. As a result, I’d already handled a few death sentences.

No, this was a different sort of punishment. It was similar to the way game-Pride forced Stale into silence after he killed his mother, even if my intentions were very different. That crime ate at Stale for all his life. Now Prime Minister Gilbert faced a similar fate.

“Prime Minister Gilbert, if you are truly remorseful, and if you wish to leave your judgment in my hands, then swear it to me right now. Swear to me, to everyone here, to the woman you love so dearly that you’d sacrifice everything for her. Swear you’ll work tirelessly as the prime minister of this kingdom to bring about a better life for all the people of Freesia. Swear for all eternity, for as long as the crown demands it of you.”

With Prime Minister Gilbert’s special power, he would live a long, long time, perhaps hundreds or even thousands of years. Even when Mother, Father, and I passed away, he’d have to go on living as the prime minister and keeping this vow.

It was just like the ending of the game. Gil’s route concluded with him making a pledge to Tiara. Believing his crimes would condemn him to hell, he promised to protect the kingdom Tiara loved until the day his judgment finally arrived. Here, I could offer him that same path to atonement, and he’d get to spend his life with Marianne in the meantime. Of course, he’d probably prefer to live with her as a normal citizen, but his crimes were too egregious. He had to face the consequences of his actions.

“You’ll withdraw from all illegal transactions. Use your information on human trafficking to arrest and prosecute the offenders. Dedicate your life to serving this kingdom you attempted to betray.”

I cupped his face. His eyes were clearing now, filling with a tenuous light.

“I understand!” he said. “I swear, right here and now, that I’ll continue to protect the people of this kingdom until the day my heart stops beating!”

His tears stopped and he looked me square in the eyes. In that moment, I knew he could live up to his vow. This was the man who fulfilled his vow in the game even after losing his fiancée and causing the deaths of so many. He dedicated his life to serving the people. He declared his resolve in front of his beloved. There was no chance he would fail.

Besides, he’d already overcome so much. Marianne fell ill when I was six. I’d known the prime minister all that time, but only now, with him so close, did I notice the dark circles under his eyes, the hollows of his cheeks, the thinness eating away at his whole body. He’d withered away in silence for so long, and I hadn’t even known it.

If only I’d realized sooner. When I saw how frail he truly was, I wished I’d told Arthur about the true nature of his power earlier. How much suffering could have been avoided if we’d saved Marianne sooner? Perhaps Prime Minister Gilbert never would have strayed into darkness. Perhaps he’d be living a happy, normal life with Marianne.

My heart sank. “I’m sorry that I let it get this far. I never realized what you were going through.”

His throat bobbed as he swallowed—as thin and pale as the rest of him. With every moment, he seemed more fragile, more breakable. His clothes hid a man barely hanging on.

“I’m sorry that the only way I can punish you is by making you remain the prime minister,” I said.

A faint smile flickered across Prime Minister Gilbert’s lips. He took my hand and raised it to his lips, kissing the back. A strangled note of surprise escaped my throat. The prime minister released me, but his hands went to my foot. I flinched as I realized his intentions, a hot flush spreading across my face. With my memories of my past life and the game, I couldn’t help seeing him as a love interest, even if I knew he was with Marianne here.

He made it all worse by removing my shoe and kissing along my foot from the toes all the way to the shin. I struggled not to reel away, face burning as his lips tickled my skin. He was near my father’s age, but he was also beautiful, and I knew that he was romanceable in the game. I couldn’t take any more of this!

I dared to steal a glance at Marianne, terrified I would find her glaring daggers at me. Yet she wore a beautiful, gracious smile. Of course. She and the prime minister were adults. They didn’t know I’d lived eighteen years in a previous life; they simply saw a child and a chaste demonstration of loyalty. Arthur, meanwhile, was red to the tips of his ears.

Please don’t watch this! No one’s more embarrassed than me right now!

I took several steadying breaths, trying to remind myself that things were different here. My teacher had even explained this gesture to me. The toes were for “adoration,” the top of the foot for “devotion,” the shin for “obedience,” and the hand for “respect.” Sometimes I received a kiss of respect from nobles, but having the prime minister himself kissing all the way up my foot was something else entirely!

Suddenly, I wished I were wearing a proper dress instead of pants or leggings. How embarrassing! But how could I have predicted such a display? In the game, even Tiara never got more than a kiss on the back of her hand. So why me?!

I covered my mouth with both hands, trying not to scream as Prime Minister Gilbert finished his vow and casually placed my shoe back on my foot.

“I am not a knight,” he said, “nor am I bound to you by a subordination contract. So I ask that you witness my vow to you here and now.”

He gracefully took to one knee, looked up at my face, and clasped his hands together as if in prayer.

“Your Highness, Pride Royal Ivy, heir to the Freesian throne,” he said, “I pledge my loyalty not to the daughter of Her Majesty, nor to the daughter of the prince consort whom I serve, nor to the holder of the title ‘crown princess.’ Rather, I pledge my loyalty to your very existence, with all of my heart.”

After making this declaration, he bowed his head low. Compared to the man we’d seen in that alley before, he was a completely different person.

“I give you my sincerest thanks for offering this grave sinner such a chance to serve his country,” he said. “I will never forget the blessings you’ve given me, including Marianne’s life.” At last, he wore a smile of genuine warmth.

“It’s a promise,” I said.

Just then, Father’s shouts came from outside the room. “Gilbert! Gilbert! Are you in there?!” Word must have finally reached him that the prime minister was back.

What am I going to do? I was ready to get caught before, but now that I’m here, how can I possibly explain all this?

“Pride!” Stale called out to me. Then the room disappeared in a blink.

“Big Sister!”

Tiara dove into my arms the second I reappeared in my bedroom. Arthur and Stale were only a moment behind.

“I seriously thought you were gonna leave me there,” Arthur said. He seemed a little stunned by his experience with teleporting.

“If you want, I’d be happy to send you back,” Stale said.

“Don’t you dare!” Arthur said.

Arthur sat down on the floor with a huff. Tiara, still in my arms, gave him an excited wave, then noticed seventeen-year-old Stale at last and gaped.

“Big Brother?! Is that you?!”

She actually had to crane her neck to look up at him. Elsewhere in the room, Lotte, Mary, and Jack all shot suspicious looks at the older version of Stale. While his face was familiar, he was otherwise a complete stranger.

“What the hell happened to you, anyway?” Arthur said.

“It’s Gilbert’s special power,” Stale said. He smirked down at Arthur. “I have to admit, getting to look down on you feels pretty nice.”

Arthur started to grumble but cut himself off with a gasp, eyes darting around the room. “H-hang on! Where are we?!”

Of course. Arthur had never been in the royal residence before, let alone my bedroom.

“This is Big Sister’s room,” Tiara said with a grin.

Arthur flushed bright red and jolted to his feet.

“I-I’m very sorry, Your Highness,” he said. “I was in the middle of training, so my clothes and shoes are a mess.”

Well, I had dragged him away in the middle of practice. I didn’t mind the dirt on his clothes. We hadn’t exactly had time to clean up in the moment. Still, Arthur shrank in on himself, shifting from foot to foot. Stale turned away, trying to hide the laugh that shook his shoulders.

“By the way, was Marianne all right when you left her?” I said. Arthur and Stale had stayed in that room a beat longer than me and I wanted to be sure she’d be okay now that Arthur wasn’t actively healing her anymore.

“Oh, I think she’s probably all right,” Arthur said. “When I healed her, I could kind of feel it. It was like…all of the sickness was just gone.”

Arthur stared at his own hands as he spoke, as though trying to work out the mystery of his power by studying his palms.

Tiara tugged on my sleeve. “I want to know too!”

I hesitated. How much of this ordeal should Tiara hear about?

In the end, Arthur answered for me. “I don’t mind if you tell Tiara,” he said.

That was all well and good, but Lotte, Mary, and Jack were still in the room. I didn’t need the news of Arthur’s miraculous power spreading too far. Who knew what kind of trouble that could bring down on him?

Tiara caught on right away. “Please tell me all about it some other time,” she said.

That’s my perceptive little sister.

“Right,” Arthur said, scratching his head and sketching a bow. “I better get going now. I’ve probably still got training to do. Sorry, Stale, but do me a favor and send me back.”

“To the training grounds?”

“Yep.”

Arthur bowed to Tiara next, then bid farewell to Lotte, Mary, and Jack.

“Wait, Arthur!”

Stale was already reaching for Arthur, but I called out to stop him.

“Everything that happened today, thank y—”

“Thank you very much,” Arthur cut in. “I’m very grateful for what you did for me.”

I didn’t even get a chance to refute him, to say that he was the one who’d salvaged everything, before Stale teleported him away.

“Why did he…? I was supposed to be the one thanking him,” I murmured.

Stale, who’d returned in a flash, just smiled at me. “I think he was happy.”

He looked so calm and relaxed now. I remembered this face—this handsome, smiling face. In the game, he reserved this expression for Tiara alone, but now Tiara, Arthur, and I all got to enjoy this softer side of Stale.

“Ah.” With a slight gasp, Stale’s body started to shrink. It seemed the prime minister’s power couldn’t keep a hold on Stale much longer. He got shorter and shorter, shrinking back down to his twelve-year-old form. It was almost like watching his life on rewind.

“If he can undo it from a distance, why’d he have to wait so long?” Stale grumbled in a higher voice than he’d had just moments ago.

“I’m glad you were able to go back to normal,” I told him.

“Big Brother’s back at last!” Tiara cheered, joining me.

Stale still seemed conflicted about his rapid shift. Tiara and I held out our hands, and he smiled shyly and rushed toward us, wrapping us both up in a massive hug.

I held both of them tight. Unlike Prime Minister Gilbert, we had no choice about growing up, but I didn’t want it to happen any sooner than it had to. These moments were precious, and they would be over all too soon.

“Let’s grow up together, all three of us,” I said.

If we were truly bound to the currents of time, then at the very least, I could cherish every moment we had together.

They nodded in my arms, and I thought again of Prime Minister Gilbert. The man who would live forever. Eventually, today’s events might be no more than a flicker to him, a faint, faded out memory, but for now, at least…

May he find happiness with the woman he loves.

 

***

 

“I knew you’d be here,” I said with a sigh.

After Stale teleported me out of Princess Pride’s room, I’d gone to dad and Vice Commander Clark to report in. But everything that happened today was so exhausting that I quickly retreated to my room.

There he was, waiting for me.

“So you’re back to your real age, Stale?” I said.

“Yeah. It happened right after you left.”

My room lay within the order’s facilities. Only knights who were part of the main squadron got to live here. It certainly wasn’t the sort of place you expected to find the prince. But Stale reclined in my chair, as calm as could be. And why shouldn’t he be? He’d visited me this way many times, though Princess Pride didn’t know it.

“I don’t care if you are royalty. I told you not to hang out here when I’m not around.”

“It’s not my fault it took you so long.”

“I had to go talk to my dad,” I told him, setting my bags down.

“Did you tell the commander about your power?”

“Yeah, and Vice Commander Clark too.” I settled on the bed, since Stale was using my chair.

“Were they surprised?”

“Hm, well…” Surprised wasn’t quite the word. Though they both tried to hide their shock, Dad kept blinking way too quickly and Vice Commander Clark’s eye twitched as I explained my power.

“You’re getting more and more like the commander,” Stale said.

“Shut it.” I shot him a warning glare.

He scoffed and went on, “It’s not a bad thing. You should keep being a knight like him.

Your special power is incredibly valuable. Depending on how you use it, you could have all the money you want or even become a member of the royal family. Even if you don’t accomplish much as a knight, you could still be a national—no, a world-famous hero who’s worshipped like a god. If you make a name for yourself as a doctor, you’d be able to save many more people than you would as a knight.”

That all sounded a bit far-fetched to me, but there were certainly people out there who believed special powers were gifts from God. Maybe all this ran through Dad’s and Sir Clark’s heads as well, and that was why they’d looked so shocked.

Personally, I didn’t care much about money or status. Being a knight was more important to me than any of that. But Stale was right—I could save a lot of people with this power, just like I’d saved Marianne today.

And to think I’d once despised this power, believing it only worked on plants and couldn’t help me ascend to knighthood. Princess Pride helped push me out of my slump and onto my current path. That was why being a knight meant so much to me. I wouldn’t squander the gift she’d given. I could use my special power as part of that, using it to defend and save everyone I could while I served as Her Highness’s knight.

“Don’t talk like you’re the one making the decision for me,” I snapped. “I’m the one who wants to be a knight.”

“I see,” Stale replied with a slow smile.

Wait, is he worried about me? I looked down at my hands, the hands that had saved a life today.

“Princess Pride is so unfair.”

The words slipped out of my mouth when I thought back on this day. Once again, I’d believed I was useless, only to have her show me my own worth. She said I’d saved Marianne, but I felt like she’d been the one saving me today.

I collapsed back on the bed with a huff. Was this just going to keep happening? How would I ever live up to what she saw in me?

“Just give up already. My elder sister’s always been like that.”

“I know,” I grumbled. I’d pledged my life to her for that very reason, after all. “So, what about you? Were you fine with everything that happened today?”

“What are you talking about?”

I couldn’t even laugh at his way of playing dumb. “You really didn’t like Prime Minister Gilbert, right? But she showed him mercy in the end.”

I’d found the man shady from the start. When I met him at the accolade, I could just tell from the way he spoke and smiled and acted. I knew Stale didn’t like the man either; he’d told me all about how Prime Minister Gilbert was trying to tarnish Princess Pride’s reputation. I was just as dead set as Stale on kicking his ass someday.

But of the two of us, Stale was definitely angrier than me. Stale had served Princess Pride for years now, and all the while, Prime Minister Gilbert undercut his efforts. What he did was unforgivable—yet Princess Pride had shown him mercy anyway. Surely, Stale was seething at that…

 

***

 

“You’re right, I didn’t,” I told Arthur with a sigh. “I couldn’t forgive him. In the middle of all this business with Marianne, there was a moment when… Well, it was a good thing my elder sister was there.”

Arthur scoffed. “So you’re not pissed anymore?” He propped himself up on his elbows to peer at me. Maybe he really was worried about me, in his own way.

“Who knows?” I leaned back, forcing a smile, trying to set Arthur at ease.

Then a pillow smacked me right in the face, and I let out an embarrassing “Oof!”

“Didn’t I tell ya your fake smiles don’t work on me?! Gimme a break,” Arthur said.

I plucked the pillow off my face and fixed my glasses, crooked from the impact. Ignoring this, Arthur pressed me further. In the two years we’d known each other, he’d never fallen for a single one of my phony expressions. At first, he would yell at me for even trying, but lately he’d stopped doing that unless we were alone.

“If you’ve got something to say, spit it out already,” Arthur said.

In some ways, he could be even more of a pain than Gilbert. No one else saw through me like Arthur.

“I know you’re still pissed at him,” Arthur went on. “He’s the bastard who trampled all over you and your sister’s work. Just let it out already.”

I’d tried to push it away. Pride’s embrace back in her room had helped calm me down after everything, but as usual, Arthur punched straight to the heart of the matter and drew out my true feelings.

“Fine! He…he pisses me off!” I admitted.

I flung the pillow back at Arthur, but he was a full-on knight now; he easily swatted it aside. Bastard.

“What the hell is with that guy, anyway?!” I fumed. “He always acts so composed while he makes all kinds of weird, rude comments to my elder sister. Even when I call him out on it, he manages to weasel his way out. And on top of that, I have to admit he’s damn good at his job. And stronger than me. I can’t beat him!”

The words poured out as my irritation ramped up. The mere mention of Gilbert had my blood boiling—and Arthur wasn’t helping by encouraging me to let it out. I scooped up some of his clothes off the floor and tossed them at him in a childish outburst. I can never let Pride or Tiara see me like this.

“Hey! Careful with that!” Arthur shouted. He sent the same clothes and pillow flying right back at me. “You’re really gonna let that fox-eyed bastard beat you?”

“Argh! He may be a fox-eyed bastard, but he’s powerful!”

We kept throwing random objects at each other, voices rising as we vented our frustration. Arthur barely knew the prime minister, but he mirrored my anger, drawing it out as we let loose with names and insults.

“He’s got the brains and the skills to make the perfect prime minister! He’s got it all!” I said. “Unlike…me.”

I slammed the pillow down, suddenly deflated. I dragged in deep breaths, just sitting there stewing in my final words. Unlike me. I wasn’t good enough. I couldn’t keep up with a man I despised. My head hung heavy as I muttered to myself, the anger twisting into self-hatred as I contemplated being bested by a man like the prime minister.

“Hey,” Arthur said, “you okay?”

I jerked my head back up. “I don’t think I protected my elder sister today. I don’t think I did anything useful at all.”

Dread welled up within me. Pride had saved Marianne today. Arthur had healed her sickness. Meanwhile, all I did was watch as Prime Minister Gilbert debated trading Pride for the information he wanted. What would have happened if Pride hadn’t stepped in, and the bandits really had given intel in exchange for my sister? I went cold just imagining it.

“He was so strong. He beat up almost every bandit without even using a weapon.”

In my current state, I couldn’t even get close to accomplishing something like that. Pride and I had had to team up to take down Gilbert, but it only worked because we surprised him.

“If Gilbert had decided to bare those fangs directly at my elder sister…”

There’s no doubt in my mind—I would have lost her. At last, after a long, harrowing two days, the tears and insecurity I’d hidden from Pride came pouring out. I scrubbed at my eyes, not wanting even Arthur to see me like this.

“In the end, I was no match for that man. I’ve worked so hard, but still… Today, I couldn’t keep her sa—”

Fwump!

A pillow struck my face once again. When it fell into my lap, I clutched it tightly, feeling the damp spots where it had absorbed my tears. Jolted out of my slump, I glared at Arthur.

“How can you be so stupid?” he bellowed. “What d’you mean you couldn’t keep her safe?! You’re the one who’s been protectin’ her! You’ve always protected Princess Pride, long before me or anyone else for that matter.”

I blinked, too stunned to retort.

“I used to hear nasty rumors about Her Highness all over town when I was a kid,” Arthur went on. “But now, when I go back and visit Mom, I barely hear a peep out of anyone. You’ve been putting a stop to it, haven’t ya?”

I opened my mouth but couldn’t find the words.

“I wanna hear it from you. When it was just the royal family and all those higher-ups around, who kept that creepy-eyed bastard from getting close to the princess? Who was the one by Her Highness’s side more than anyone else? Who was the one who made sure people heard all the good rumors about what kind of person she is? Who was the one who supported her all this time so that no one could ever make up reasons to complain about her?”

Arthur rose from the bed and strode over to me, anger lighting a fire in his eyes.

“All of that was you! You don’t think you could’ve protected her in a fight?! Of course you couldn’t! But why the hell do you think you have to protect her all by yourself?! That’s why you’ve got me!” He smacked his chest to punctuate this pronouncement.

I didn’t have the slightest idea how to respond. We’d spent so much time training in fencing and combat together, but I never imagined he would reject my strength so bluntly. I lowered my eyes, unable to meet his gaze, and bit my lip to hold back a fresh wave of tears.

“Don’t ya remember what I said right when I first got accepted into the main forces?” Arthur said.

“How about it?! Finally satisfied, Stale?!”

“Two years ago, you told me I had to become a knight as soon as possible. You heard me, right? So why’re ya givin’ me all this bullcrap? Don’t tell me you forgot?”

He had me beat. I struggled to respond; the threat of his words was so palpable, I almost feared he’d end me right there. But I remembered exactly what he was referring to. I’d pushed Arthur to become a knight as soon as possible. Naturally, I was happy when he first joined as a new recruit, and then when he was accepted into the main forces. But it was all because…

“I will be my elder sister’s shield that protects her from political influences and threats unseen. Arthur, I want you to be her sword and cut down anyone who tries to hurt her by force.”

Yes, that was what I’d said to him. That was why I had Arthur obtain his knighthood early—I wanted him to protect Pride.

Arthur clicked his tongue and took a step back. “Anyway, stop spewin’ nonsense. You’re fulfilling your role of ‘shield’ just fine.”

I’m fulfilling my role. For some reason, those words spread through me like a healing balm, patching over my self-doubt. But I still sat there in a daze until Arthur reached his hand out to me.

“Promise me. Promise me that next time something happens with Her Highness, you’ll come get me. I mean it. You’re the one by her side. You’re the one who’ll know first. But I want to know second. I’ll protect all of you. Princess Pride, Tiara, even you.”

I took his hand. It was strong and warm as he squeezed mine. I felt small and frail in the face of his sturdy resolution. At the same time, I was grateful. Arthur had kept my words safe in his heart over these past two years, and he truly lived up to them.

How lucky I am to have met Arthur back then.

We let go. I opened my mouth to thank him, but this time, he suddenly cupped my face in both hands.

“I’ve had it with your apologies! You really want it all, don’t ya?! You’re smart, great with a sword, and you’ve even got status. What would be the point of havin’ me around if some twelve-year-old brat could take down a whole group of bandits on his own?!”

He squeezed tight, forcing me to stay in place.

“Just so ya know, both you and Princess Pride are plenty strong. No one your own age could ever beat the two of you. Ya talk like you’re some kind of weakling. But if you’re so weak, how come I defeated all those other recruits during my trial, but I’m always on my toes when we spar against each other, yeah? You better apologize a hundred times over to those recruits you just insulted!”

His hands kept tightening until I finally smacked them away. “Knock it off, idiot. I get it, I get it.”

Arthur clicked his tongue at me. But he backed off, tidying up the stray clothing on the floor. Not that the room was messy when I arrived. In fact, I felt a little guilty about helping create this mess of clothes and pillows, so I started folding the items nearest to me.

“I could have the castle maids launder these for you.”

“They work for the royal family. Someone like me shouldn’t be makin’ more work for them. This stuff isn’t even dirty.”

“Jeez, you’re like a real adult.”

Arthur had three years on me, and it really showed. Already, he was much taller and broader than me. Becoming a knight had only accelerated that process. But more than that, he’d gained a level of maturity that I was still trying to catch up to. He knew just how hard I struggled to be perfect, and he knew when and how to reach out and save me from myself. I had to wonder if I’d manage to reach his level in just three more years.

“You’re a lot more of an adult than I was at your age,” Arthur said.

I never expected to hear him say that. “Are you trying to be humble?”

Arthur just sighed and shook his head. “You knew me when I was only a year older than you. Remember how pathetic I was, and how much I cried? Don’t make me talk about this stuff. It’s embarrassing.”

He held up his stray clothes to shake out the wrinkles, hiding his reddening face in the process.

“So, not crying is what makes you an adult?” I said, only half-serious.

“That’s not what I mean,” he replied, scratching his head.

I could still remember what it felt like to be five years older, thanks to Gilbert’s special power. I was bigger and more defined than Arthur then, nearly as tall as the prime minister himself. I could’ve carried Pride in my arms with ease. Was that what I’d look like as an adult?

I didn’t even wait for him to continue. “I’ve made up my mind,” I declared, more to myself than to Arthur.

“About what?” Arthur asked, his brow wrinkling.

“I’m not going to cry anymore.”

It wasn’t just to receive the praise of people like Pride and Arthur. It wasn’t just to be more like an adult. No, I needed to be reliable, steadfast. I couldn’t have my emotions flying off like that.

“What, like, forever?” Arthur said.

“Not until I’m as old as I was today, when Gilbert changed me. Five years or so from now.” I straightened, cracking my back after being on the floor folding laundry. Arthur stood as well.

“Okay, then I’ll join ya,” he said.

“What?”

“Five years, right? I’m not gonna let you do it alone. It’d be good for me too, since I just became a knight for the main forces.”

With that, he started putting away his folded clothes, casual as could be.

“Hang on, Arthur. This was my decision. It’s got nothing to do with you…and why would it be good for you, anyway?” I retrieved my glasses from my pocket, where they’d safely been tucked out of pillow range, and put them back on.

Arthur crossed his arms and turned back toward me, his face set and determined.

“Over these past two years, you and Princess Pride have seen some really pathetic sides of me. I don’t wanna be like that around people anymore. So I’m not gonna cry either, even if you change your mind.”

When I heard that, I put my head in my hands. I’d been too hasty when I’d judged him an adult. He was making this pledge half for his own improvement, while the other half…was probably for my sake.

“The two of us are gonna get stronger together,” he added.

I’m really no match for him. Even in this situation, he was proving his resilience. Whether it came to his body or his heart, I was simply no match for Arthur. He’s right; we will. But first…

“Fine,” I said, a smile tugging at my lips. I scooped up the pillow he’d thrown at me.

A fraction of a second later, it appeared over his head. Startled, he looked up just as the pillow fell directly on his face.

“Bwah!” He flailed.

“But I’m the stronger one today! See you tomorrow.”

“Wait up, you little bastard!” Arthur yelled.

Before he could catch me, I blinked away, teleporting back to my own room. I settled on the edge of my bed, and my smile stretched as I remembered the silly, bewildered look on Arthur’s face. I’d arrived at Arthur’s room in a funk, but I’d left it smiling after only a few minutes with him.

It’ll be okay. I’m still on the same path I was on before; I just have allies now.

I had to become the most cunning, calculating, and convincingly trustworthy person in the entire kingdom. I had to protect Pride, my beloved little sister, and my foul-mouthed best friend.

As long as I never stopped pursuing those goals, nothing would ever get the best of me. Then, five years from now, I would be able to stand next to Pride with my head held high.

Of this, I was absolutely confident.

 

***

 

I met Marianne Edwards, my beloved and the third daughter of an earl, when I was thirteen years old. As true as I was Gilbert Butler, she was my soul mate, and my name always left her lips like a love song.

My parents were commoners among the lowest classes of society. I lost both by the time I turned seven. Mother passed away, unable to afford the medicine she needed, and Father’s despair grew so powerful, he took his own life.

I spent three years living like a stray dog. I got by however I could, including begging, seduction, or theft. A far cry from the Gilbert Butler my beloved would know later.

I used my shabby condition to elicit sympathy and thereby get what I wanted. Once I chose a target, there was little they could do. I’d dress in fancy-looking garb and smile and whisper in their ears, using charm and allure to extract the coin I desired. I could become whatever they desired that night—for a price.

One evening, after such an escapade, I was headed back to my hovel when I saw some sort of cloth hanging out of the window of a sprawling mansion. A young girl climbed down the cloth, apparently making her escape. She had nothing with her but the clothes on her body as she scaled a tree and jumped over the fence around the property.

“Good evening,” she said when she caught me watching her.

That was my very first encounter with Marianne. This girl, two years younger than me, smiled to greet a total stranger in a servant’s uniform. Just like that, she took my hand and led me away.

I’m ashamed to admit that even then I was thinking about how I could use her, how I could gain more of the money I so desperately needed through her. I asked who she was, trying to tease out information, but she just kept moving, never stopping to answer.

Eventually, I did learn that she was the daughter of the earl who lived in that mansion. She had two older sisters as well, both perfect in every way. Marianne, however, was already sickly and an outcast among her family. Though her room was guarded, it was done poorly. Thus, she would sneak out at night to relish the only freedom and power she could acquire in her sheltered life.

“You’re the first person I’ve ever run into while doing this, though,” she said, eyes wide. Did she seriously not have any concern for her own safety? She had no idea who I was or what my intentions were.

“And what if I was planning on harming you?” I asked.

“What’s wrong with being harmed?”

She said it so simply, like she truly was puzzled by the very idea. Marianne explained that no one back home worried about her. They were simply waiting until they could marry her off for some kind of political gain.

“But what if you got hurt in some sort of noticeable way? What if it brought shame on your family? Or you couldn’t find a husband because of it?” I pressed. I had to admit, her carefree attitude bothered me. Here was a girl who had everything, yet she didn’t even value her own safety.

“I’m already bringing shame to my family. Whoever I marry will only be after my family name, so anything else doesn’t matter. He’ll just be a man who wants to gain access to an earl’s family. He’ll probably have a mistress, and he won’t care about me at all.”

Even living as I did on the streets, I suddenly felt that I enjoyed more freedom than this girl. All her status and money didn’t allow her to even choose her own future.

Suddenly, she stopped, stepping close. “Do you wish to harm me?”

I was dumbstruck by the bluntness of her question and froze in place.

“It’s all right if you do,” she went on. “You can take my life or do whatever you like. At least one of us can be happy that way, right? In exchange, I want you to show me the place you find the most beautiful in the whole world.”

In my various escapades, I’d heard plenty of sweet, tender words. But hers struck me as the sweetest of all. This was all she asked of me, this fragile, ephemeral wisp of a girl. It rang more sincere than any romantic nonsense I’d ever heard before, not a term of endearment but more like a final request, a last wish before she faded away in her grief. Her swaying, peach-colored hair, her anguished smile—her whole being radiated as if to cast me in light where I’d been cloaked in shadow.

I squeezed her hand, the hand of the earl’s daughter, and led her away.

We climbed a hill in town. It rose high enough that from the crest I could glimpse the castle on one side and the lower village on the other. My parents had taken me here when they were still alive, and I still treasured this place because of that. It made me feel tall, important. I could see everything from this height, from the castle illuminated in moonlight to the twinkling, flickering starlight of the village below.

Marianne’s eyes lit up when she saw it. “I’ve never seen something so beautiful before.”

Her smile stretched across her face, sincere and unrestrained. I would remember it for all my life. We stood there a long time, so long the moonlight dimmed, washed out by the rising sun. As our time faded, burned away by the harsh sunlight, I dared a request.

“Shall I bring you here again, three days from now?”

Her smile faded to consternation. “Are you sure?”

“Of course,” I said. “If you’d like that.” She paused for a moment, strangely still. Then she lunged into my arms, burying her face against my chest as she wept. She ignored the filthy state of my ragged clothing, hugging me close while I stroked her hair. I knew in that moment that I’d do anything to make this girl happy.

“It’s a promise, then,” I said.

Marianne and I met up every three days without fail after that. She even began to call me “Gil” as we grew more familiar. In love and in reverence, I called her “Maria.”

I came to treasure those times and found myself smiling and laughing more than I had in many years. The more we spoke, the more I revealed about my past, my life, and even my crimes. I expected disgust, admonishment, maybe even a threat, but this daughter of an earl just listened patiently to all I told her, then stroked my hair and said, “You’ve worked so hard in life.”

The impact those words had on me was immeasurable.

No one had said anything like that to me before. Despite being two years my junior, Marianne was so much wiser—and the wisdom that flowed from her feeble lips made her seem all the more transient. It made me ashamed of my life, of the things I was doing to get by. Marianne saw more in me.

From that moment forward, I tried to live up to that. I picked up etiquette so I could find different work, acting as a servant for various middle-class households. It wasn’t a bad life; I garnered the favor of my employers, and I scrounged together any savings I could in the meantime. It took a year before I brought my savings back to Marianne.

“Gil…I’m engaged.”

My heart dropped. For a year, I’d worked to live up to her expectations, to be worthy of her, never noticing that she was slipping away all the while.

“He’s far too good for me,” she said with a smile. “This wasn’t supposed to be finalized until I was sixteen, but if I don’t act quickly, I may lose the chance to find a man who will take me.”

I should have congratulated her. It was a good match, a better future than she’d feared. But I could manage no celebratory words; I was already too in love with her by then.

Marianne would move to another kingdom. She would belong to another man. I would never see her again. I opened my mouth, trying to say something, anything, but my throat was too tight for words to pass.

The fact was, I wasn’t worthy of her. Even beyond my low-class upbringing, the things I’d done just to survive would tarnish and shame her. She knew of my crimes and misdeeds; she knew I could only sully her.

“I won’t meet him until I turn sixteen,” she went on. “So I can still see you for now, Gil. But at some point, they’ll post more guards outside my room, and then…and then I won’t be able to come outside and meet you anymore.”

We didn’t even know when our final goodbye would arrive.

“That’s why I think I should tell you now, while I still can,” she said.

Why couldn’t I be born into the upper class? Why did she have to be born to a station I could never hope to reach?!

I was still just standing there, barely registering her words, trying not to tremble. She reached out for me. When her fingers brushed my cheek, they came away wet, and I realized I was crying before her.

“Gil.”

All I could do was stare back into those peach-colored eyes.

“I…I love you. I’ve always loved you.” She went swiftly on her tiptoes to press her lips against mine. I didn’t even have time to be surprised before the warmth of her mouth seeped through me, and I found myself kissing her back, desperate for this moment of contact, savoring the tangible evidence that our love was truly mutual.

“Let’s run away together.” If only I’d said something like that. If only I’d seized that moment. But at the time, I felt there was no hope, no way for someone like me to bring joy to an earl’s daughter who often slipped away to see the world at sunset. I broke the kiss but kept my arms around her.

“Four more years,” she murmured. “Please keep coming to see me for as long as you possibly can.”

Her frail voice carried a desperate plea. As I held her soft, warm body in my arms, I wanted so badly to keep that promise, to make her happy somehow, to find a way to fix this. But there was little I could do.

Until I encountered my special power, that is. It manifested only a few weeks later.

The middle-class family I worked for had given me a storage room filled with books for my sleeping quarters. It was there that I researched the nature of my newfound special power and learned that there was only one other person in recorded history who possessed the power of age control. Eternal youth, the power to manipulate one’s own life span. It was incredibly rare, but it did exist. And it meant I had a chance. I could use my power to gain access to the government, elevating my status to be worthy of Marianne.

Everything will be mine.

“I won’t be able to come see you for a while,” I told her after that. She looked confused, even distraught, so I took her hands in mine. “I promise I’ll come back for you! I’ll return before you turn sixteen. But first, I’m going to use my special power to join the government and become an official. Then I can come back actually worthy of you, Marianne.”

Until then, I couldn’t see her. I needed to dedicate every single day—no, every second—to honing my skills to ensure my position.

There’s no time. I have to hurry! I can’t come back to her until I’ve earned my place beside her.

Marianne nodded. Eyes shimmering with tears, she said, “I’ll wait for you.”

How could I ever betray her? Oh, Maria, I swear I’ll make up for the time we’re losing together.

I dove headfirst into my studies after that. Information, fighting skills, self-defense, classroom learning—I gobbled up all the education I could get my hands on. I wanted to quit my job to devote more time to my studies, but then I’d lose access to the storage room of books and money for new ones. So I stayed on as a servant and cut into my sleeping time to study.

I’m going to make her happy. I don’t care if I have to suffer to get there.

“My name is Gilbert Butler. As you can see, I possess the special power of age control. With the eternity I’ve been granted, I believe it is my duty to serve my kingdom, which is why I stand before you today.”

Don’t let go of any possibilities. No matter how ill-suited you may be, sink your teeth into every opportunity and never let go.

“Gilbert. You have a wonderful power indeed, and you far exceed the abilities of any current advisor I know of. However, what drives you to use that impressive brain of yours for work here in the castle?”

You’ve been telling lies for years now. It doesn’t matter who you deceive or antagonize as long as you get her back.

“I haven’t officially introduced myself, have I? My name is Albert, soon to join the Royal Ivy family. Gilbert Butler, when I become the prince consort, do you wish to serve as my assistant?”

It’s all for her. I’ll give up everything I have for her.

“Yes, I do! I promise to support you in every possible way, and serve you for the remainder of my life, Alb—Lord Albert. Please, please grant me the opportunity to be made Prime Minister!”

“By the name Rosa Royal Ivy, I hereby appoint you, Gilbert Butler, as the prime minister of the kingdom of Freesia.”

 

Knock. Knock.

I stood at her door again at last. The front door, not a window, not a wall, not some secret corner in the night. I walked right up to the main entrance of her home and knocked. A carriage sat outside, waiting for me.

Servants let me in and guided me through halls patrolled by suspicious guards. I’d met the master of the house before at a formal event. Back then, he’d invited me to his home, clearly with ulterior motives, but I hadn’t taken him up on the offer until now.

The two of us conversed casually in the lavish drawing room, and I began to cast my line. I was an adult, old enough to make the request, as long as there was no other woman in my life, which of course there wasn’t.

“M-my youngest daughter? You mean Marianne? Well, she’s here, yes, but I’m not certain you’ll find her suitable, Prime Minister…”

Little did he know she was still the only woman I would ever find suitable—and then some. When I reiterated my request, her father scurried off to fetch her, surely still confused. I had to remind myself to stay calm during the long walk to her room, not to seem too eager.

We reached a staircase, descended to the next floor, and then headed toward the sound of a commotion. Servants rushed around with makeup and dresses in their hands. They were trying to present her, to doll her up as what they imagined I wanted, as though my Marianne could be any more perfect than she already was.

I didn’t care what she looked like. With all my heart, all I wanted was to see her again, to glimpse her beautiful, smiling face. They kept fussing until I expressed my impatience…and then finally, finally, I saw her.

As I glimpsed her for the first time in what felt like an eternity, I struggled to control the tempest of emotions raging inside me. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Miss Marianne Edwards. My name is Gilbert Butler, and I serve as the prime minister of our kingdom. Please, call me Gil.”

I’ve missed you so much.

I swallowed that down and offered a polite smile. I had to remember that I wasn’t the boy from the lower classes; I was the prime minister. I was the kind of person worthy of coming back for her, someone who could make her happy and give her everything she could ever want in life. Her teary eyes went wide as she looked me over. She fixated on my face, gazing into my eyes, confirming all the words we could not speak in that moment.

“I apologize for asking this of you so suddenly,” I said. “However, I would be honored to have your hand in marriage. I promise to make you happy.”

I reached out toward my beloved, the girl I’d yearned for all these years. Back then, I had nothing to my name and could only daydream about a better life. But now I had everything I could hope for—wealth, status, power, social standing. When I reached out for her, I did so with the confidence of the prime minister, rather than the shame of that boy from the slums.

She took my hand in hers, gulping before she spoke. “I-I may be Marianne Edwards, but please…call me Maria. I would gladly accept your hand in marriage…Gil.” Tears spilled down her cheeks, and her hands trembled in mine. A flush rose to her face, lighting her peach-colored eyes, making them as bright as the hair that tumbled over her shoulders. I’d never seen her look so beautiful in all our lives.

I came back for you. I clasped my hands around hers, gingerly so as not to hurt her. After all this time, I’d truly done it. I’d achieved the power and status I needed to give us both a happy life. We’d waited so long for this moment, for a chance to be together again, but here we were, united at last with nothing standing between our love anymore.

In that moment, I thought, I must have been born just to meet her. For surely, this was fate.

 

Marianne—my Maria—and I spent a few years living together after that.

Each and every day with her was bliss. I only began working as the prime minister to obtain a life with her, but along the way, it became a source of motivation for me as well. After a life of lying, deceiving, cheating, and instigation, my new work filled me with pride. I could dedicate myself to the kingdom’s people and ruler, Queen Rosa. The queen even granted me the right to submit laws for consideration, and I used that power to craft legislation born from my upbringing in the lower classes. As a result, the rate of poverty and hunger plummeted.

I felt like I was doing something meaningful, something important. In the meantime, I bought a house for me and Marianne. Every day, after working with the prince consort, I’d return to that home, our home, and there she was, waiting for me. I could ask for nothing more.

But that all ended when Marianne’s illness overcame her.

One day, her condition took a turn for the worse. She struggled to breathe, and chills plagued her constantly. Not one of the kingdom’s doctors I spoke to discreetly could make sense of the affliction. I didn’t know what to do, so I went to Albert, the prince consort, a man who’d become not just my master but also my friend. He and Queen Rosa arranged for Marianne to begin living in secret in the castle.

There, she was safe. I could look after her myself. While I trusted her maids, if the servants back home would’ve looked after her and her worsening condition, the news could spread and stoke fears of contagion. I couldn’t let such a vicious rumor spread. Thanks to the royal family, I was able to prevent that while keeping faithful to my duties as prime minister.

We tried various treatments over the first year, but nothing helped. No one could identify the cause. Soon, only one hope remained to me—finding someone with the power to cure disease. I’d heard rumors of such a power, but it was just as rare as my own. Finding it would be difficult but perhaps not impossible in such a vast kingdom.

The queen herself ordered soldiers to seek out whoever might wield this power. This, too, the royal family kept quiet on my behalf. We couldn’t give the people the impression that I was getting special treatment. Plus, they might suspect that a high-ranking official in the government was the one who was ill. Keeping it all secret was better for everyone, including Marianne.

This was when I cooked up the Special Power Registration Law. It would speed up the process by allowing me to gather all the available information in the kingdom on people’s special powers. But Queen Rosa and Albert pushed back, saying the law would break precedent for the kingdom and violate the citizens’ rights.

 

Two years passed this way, and I still hadn’t found the special power to cure diseases. Then, two important things happened.

First, Princess Pride received the power of precognition that proved her right to the throne.

Second, she predicted the two faulty wheels on Albert’s carriage and saved his life.

As the prime minister, it fell to me to investigate the incident. Her Majesty had left the castle on urgent business, and Albert rushed after her, creating confusion for all involved. I found that multiple servants had labeled wheels incorrectly, failed to confirm which were faulty, and replaced the wrong wheels in a cascade of human error. If just one of them had inspected the carriage wheels properly, the whole thing could have been avoided. Instead, the eight-year-old Princess Pride ended up saving Albert’s life thanks to her special power, stopping him from ever entering the dangerous carriage.

Furious, I swiftly fired everyone involved. Accident or no, it could have cost the prince consort his life. But the whispers spread rapidly, suggesting a deliberate attempt on Albert’s life. Plenty of high-level officials in the government weren’t fond of the man. Albert was the second-eldest prince, not the firstborn, which rubbed some people the wrong way—namely those who believed in Freesian supremacy—but he was a tirelessly hard worker who loved this kingdom more than any of those rumor-mongering snakes could claim.

An idea took root in me then, though not one to be proud of. I thought I could use the opposition to Albert to get my Special Power Registration Law passed. If the block against him was vile enough to try to murder him, surely they’d help pass some little bill simply out of spite.

Of course, the queen would still get the final say. But if I gathered enough support, not even Queen Rosa herself would be able to ignore my idea without facing significant opposition.

I set aside the idea before it got too far, though. I couldn’t betray a dear friend that way. And even if I did, there was no guarantee the opposition would be enough to push my bill through. Plus, trying to spread rumors about a man like Albert would likely gain little support; his virtue was clear for all to see.

But there was another option: Princess Pride.

When her precognition awakened, she officially became the heir to the throne. No one in the castle who knew of her arrogant behavior was happy to hear of this development. The complaints quickly grew, an undercurrent of restless murmuring I intended to seize upon. Perhaps I should have felt bad, but any remorse evaporated when the royal family went on the hunt for an assistant to the crown princess. I’d spent years searching for the special power that could cure Marianne’s illness—yet they found young Stale in less than two days. All my searching, all my pleading, and they plucked this boy out of the lower classes at the snap of their fingers. Why couldn’t they do the same for Marianne?

My bitterness only grew. They couldn’t have located Stale without my efforts at finding a cure for Marianne. It was my hard work that resulted in the guards from the castle knowing about so many special power users out in the town. It was my grief and toil that resulted in the rapid acquisition of Stale. I turned that resentment—and jealousy, perhaps—on Princess Pride.

I’d only met her a couple times, but she provided a convenient outlet for my pain. While the arrogant princess acquired everything she could want or hope for in life, my beloved withered away—and no one even seemed to care. I turned her into a scapegoat, helping spread rumors that would tarnish her reputation. I knew that if anyone found out I was behind those whisperings, I’d bring disgrace to my friend, Albert, and the rest of the royal family. Not to mention the crimes I would be tried for.

Even so, I pushed ahead, so blinded by grief that even the threat of consequences couldn’t stop me, not even if—

“Gil…”

Marianne’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts.

“What is it, Marianne?”

My beloved was already bedridden by this time, and I smiled, trying not to worry her in her weakened state. She stretched a pale hand toward me, trembling as she did. I clasped her hand in mine and she opened her mouth, struggling to speak between ragged breaths.

“I don’t want you…to push yourself for my sake…anymore. Gil…I want you…to do something for me. Promise…me.”

Tears shimmered in her eyes. I nodded even before she made her request, and a faint smile quivered across her lips.

“If…if I pass away…I want you to…to live the life…that I never got to… Promise me…”

My blood ran cold, and my smile faltered. Marianne was talking about her own death as though it was a surety, as though I’d already failed. The grief washed through me, a crushing wave pulling me under.

“Gil…I’m so incredibly hap—”

“Please don’t say such things!” The moment I spoke, the tears broke free, cutting down my cheeks. “You can’t die. I haven’t been able to make you happy yet.” I wiped my eyes and leaned in to kiss her brow.

“That’s not true,” she said, but I pretended not to hear her.

“I’m not making you any promises until you’re cured,” I told her. “Until then, don’t say another word of this. Please.” I couldn’t bear to stay around and hear any more.

I threw myself back into my duties, trying not to think about her demise. But once Marianne put the thought in my head, I couldn’t help churning over it. Her death was purely hypothetical to me, but evidently not to her. And with every day that I failed to find a way to cure her disease, her death became more certain.

No, I couldn’t accept that. I hadn’t made her happy yet. Despite my promises, I was the one receiving all the joy from our relationship. She’d reached in and lifted me out of a life of misery—every day a torturous routine of scheming and cheating to ensure I lived to see the next. I never thought I could climb so high, to leave the mud and the slop below, but it had all happened because of her.

“Right…without her, I…”

I left through a hidden door and made my way through the castle, musing darkly as I went.

If she didn’t exist, I never would have made it this far. So what was so wrong about using every means at my disposal to secure her health and happiness? I would save her. Nothing else mattered. If I had to use all the power of my position as prime minister, plus every underhanded and shady connection I could find, I’d do it. If I had to plunge into the depths of hell, I’d take sure steps through the fire for her happiness. Even if I had to lie and deceive and manipulate, I’d push on with my goal. I only had this chance at all because of her, after all.

 

The smallest factors can add up to the most terrible outcomes.

It all seemed so simple at first, so inconsequential. I did small things, strengthened my relationships with those who opposed Albert. I wormed my way into their good graces by telling them the things they wanted to hear.

I cultivated my connections with the underworld as well. My work as prime minister placed me in legal proceedings frequently; it wasn’t hard to build up a network of shady characters. With a little coin, they were more than willing to seek out the information I wanted.

Many factors came together to result in the damaged carriage that nearly killed Albert. One little crack in one wheel. Another wheel that didn’t fit quite right and…

I turned my connections not just against Albert but more frequently and more easily against Princess Pride, the heir to the throne who had a reputation for arrogance. A small push, and people’s preconceived criticisms of her character gained even more purchase in their minds. It took little to paint her as evil and scheming, which won me ever more allies in my quest.

Little by little, I gathered these disreputable friends to my side. Before I knew it, five years had passed. All I still waited on was the passage of my law in the assembly. If only the royal family would approve of it…

I was so, so close to saving Marianne.

“Prime Minister Gilbert, it’s Lady Marianne!”

And in the end, the only possible outcome was a total collapse.

Marianne had been sick for seven years. She was nearly out of time. Her body had deteriorated so much she couldn’t speak. Even her eyesight was nearly gone.

I leaned on those carefully curated contacts in the underworld in my desperation, but all they had to offer was cruel laughter. That’s where Prince Stale and Princess Pride finally caught up to me, confronting me in the midst of my scheming. Even if I could have talked my way out of this, Princess Pride had seen Marianne’s death with her precognition. She knew everything.

That was when the very person I’d plotted against, the very person I’d spread horrible rumors about just to further my own cause, offered me my only ray of hope.

Princess Pride thought she could help, but when we returned to Marianne, I couldn’t see how. My beloved lay pallid and still, hardly breathing. I tried everything, even forcing the air into her lungs myself, but nothing worked. I could call for a doctor, but it’d be no use at this point. Marianne was leaving me, and there was nothing I could do.

And still, she tried to smile, her dry lips moving faintly as she struggled for air.

“Please, please don’t leave me… I haven’t made you happy yet… I promised you, I swore I’d make you happy,” I pleaded.

I grabbed her limp hand, squeezing too tightly, trying to press my own warmth into her cooling body. But she hardly stirred, remaining cold in my grasp. I tried to keep speaking to her, but she didn’t respond. Tears blurred my vision. What little breath she drew grew shallower every moment. Her face drained of any lingering color. And still her lips moved as though she was trying to speak.

“Marianne, I can’t. I can’t… Please…”

All I could do was pray.

I’d spent years committing any evil required of me in the shadows, doing whatever I had to do if I thought it might save her. And now here I was, begging God to spare her—to spare me, as well. Yet I had no other choice in these final, horrible moments.

I can’t lose her. Anything…anything but this! I’m so sorry, Marianne… I’m so sorry… I just couldn’t find it. Even after I did everything I possibly could, I didn’t make it in time… I never found a treatment, or the right special power, or anything that could save you.

“Your special power isn’t limited to plants. In fact, you possess something much greater.”

A young girl’s voice suddenly rang loud in the room. My eyes flew wide when I turned to find her as she issued commands to the boy beside her.

“I want you to take us to your fiancée.”

“All I can use it for is growing crops…”

I remembered both of their words, but…

It can’t be. It can’t be! Such a miracle isn’t possible!

“You have the power to cure disease!”

I knew the boy who rushed to Marianne’s bedside. He was Arthur Beresford, the boy who’d only recently become a knight. Could he possibly possess the power I’d searched for all these years? How long had I prayed to find someone like him, turning my life toward this singular quest?

He took Marianne’s hand, and I set my hand over his. Then he clung to her arm. I couldn’t see his special power, but I could feel it; I sensed it around us. He truly was the savior we’d waited for all this time.

“Ah… Ah…”

She was breathing. Her chest heaved, drawing deeper breaths than she’d enjoyed in years. Color rushed back into a face that had been deathly pale only moments ago.

“Marianne, Marianne, can you hear me? Marianne!”

I kept calling her name before I could even process the miracle I was witnessing. I squeezed her hand tighter, searching for something tangible, something that could assure me this was real.

Please answer me. Please, one more time, I want you to—

She squeezed back.

My heart leapt into my throat. That small motion was more than she’d managed in months. I hardly dared to breathe, afraid I might disperse the miracle before me. Every moment, more color returned to her sunken cheeks. I bowed my head, praying even as I kept calling out her name.

“Marianne?”

“Gil,” she said. And oh, when I heard that voice, I couldn’t even speak through the emotion clogging my throat. I’d yearned, dreamed, and prayed to see that smile on her face for so very long. It was the smile of my beloved in the moment she was freed from her suffering.

“I’m…really…happy.”

I swept down, embracing her, holding her after so long without the touch of the woman I loved. In her weakened state, I was terrified to hug her like this, but now she felt solid in my arms; she clung to me just as tenaciously as I held her.

How many times had I wished for this moment? I’d put everything on the line to save her, diving into darkness with abandon if I thought it could help her. For her part, Marianne was probably prepared to die just moments ago. Now I was the one struggling to breathe as it hit me all over again that she would survive.

She was happy.

She’d said it herself—she was happy. That was all I’d really wanted all this time, just her happiness. And now she had the gift I’d always yearned to give her. The nightmare hanging over us dispersed at last, leaving us the freedom for joy and relief—and happiness.

Marianne managed to thank her savior, Arthur, but when I tried, my “thank you” came out as a choked sob. If it weren’t for this boy, I would have lost Marianne and gotten crushed by my own uselessness. I had to thank him somehow.

Wait.

Arthur Beresford? How had he gotten here?

My head cleared rapidly, the fog of despair and then intense relief dispersing. The only way Arthur could be here was if Stale had teleported him in. But Stale would only teleport him if he somehow knew that Arthur had the power to cure Marianne. How could he know that?

My blood went ice-cold.

It wasn’t Stale at all. It was Pride. Pride Royal Ivy. She’d searched for me in order to save Marianne. Even when she learned of my betrayal and crimes, she showed Marianne mercy. She saved her.

What have I been doing to her all this time?

I spent years spreading those rumors about her and ruining her reputation. Even when she proved me wrong through her actions, I kept spreading harmful lies to discredit her. She was just a little girl, yet I spent five years trying to destroy her, even growing so bold as to do it in public.

The queen’s approval was the only thing that made me change course. With the queen backing her, I had little choice but to try to win Princess Pride’s favor. Even so, if my quest to cure Maria had come at the cost of the royal family, I would have offered that price.

For seven years, I tried to manipulate and use this girl, and still she’d saved Maria, dragging her back from the brink of death.

“What have I done?”

I trembled in the face of my sins. I was beyond forgiveness, beyond retribution. I’d betrayed this girl and her entire family, yet here she sat rejoicing with me and my beloved.

“Your Highness!”

I stumbled to the princess, falling to the floor to bow before her. I could never repay the debt I owed to this girl. Even if she demanded my head for my crimes, I could do nothing but accept.

“If it weren’t for you, I would be… Marianne would be…” I couldn’t even speak of the fate that had so nearly awaited Marianne. My gratitude welled up inside me, alongside a stab of guilt.

She set a hand on my shoulder and called my name, telling me she hadn’t really done anything, but that simply wasn’t true. She’d done everything for Marianne and me. I tried to express how many unforgivable sins I’d committed to achieve this and how much I’d wronged her. Even if the saint before me was willing to forgive me, I would never forgive myself. I hadn’t just betrayed her but also Albert and Queen Rosa, the people who’d done so much for my beloved and me. I’d been willing to sacrifice the people who helped us through all this. I’d ignored the human trafficking required to get the information I wanted. I bent the laws of the kingdom to my own ends. My list of crimes went on, filling me with shame.

What was I thinking all this time?! How did I think I could live happily with Marianne after doing so many despicable things? Perhaps I would save her body, but I never would have managed to save her heart.

I’d sullied the title of prime minister itself.

But even so, I must.

I confessed everything right there in front of Marianne and the maids and everyone else in the room. I told them about my shady connections and the human trafficking I’d turned a blind eye to and about my numerous betrayals. It did not assuage the rage and regret, but Princess Pride deserved to know it all.

I made it clear that I was ready for her judgment. Whatever she decided, I would accept. After all this, she deserved to be the one to prosecute me.

“Does this mean you’ll leave your fate in my hands?” she said. I agreed, but incredibly, she didn’t use the opportunity to punish me.

Instead, she forgave me.

I could hardly believe what I was hearing. She said she wasn’t planning to punish me even though she couldn’t allow me to go free. This was more mercy than I deserved.

“Gilbert Butler.”

She tightened her grip on my shoulder, and I gazed up at her, this angel of mercy. I found it difficult to look at her with my regrets nearly crushing me.

“Are you prepared to keep everything that happened today from Mother and Father?”

I blinked. Keep everything from them? What does she mean by that? I was a sinner. I deserved torture, beheading, or public stoning. I was at a loss.

Princess Pride gazed straight into my eyes as she delivered her judgment. I would spend eternity serving this kingdom as its prime minister, so long as I was allowed to hold the title. I couldn’t step down from my position. I had to keep that title forever, restoring to it the honor I’d stripped away.

“You’ll withdraw from all illegal transactions,” she ordered. “Use your information on human trafficking to arrest and prosecute the offenders. Dedicate your life to serving this kingdom you attempted to betray.”

Being the prime minister was my atonement. It was the gravest of punishments but also my salvation. I could undo the crimes I’d committed. If that was what the princess wanted from me… If that was what she believed I could accomplish…

“I understand!”

There was only one answer.

I would repay my tremendous debt to her and atone for every sin I’d committed over these past seven years. I’d dedicate my life to the people of my country.

“I swear, right here and now, that I’ll continue to protect the people of this kingdom until the day my heart stops beating!”

My entire life will exist for that purpose. This is my vow to you.

I grabbed the hand of the worthy future queen and swore my oath. She smiled down at me.

“I’m sorry that I let it get this far,” she said. “I never realized what you were going through.”

How was such forgiveness and understanding even possible?

I couldn’t help but gulp. Faced with this girl’s open-hearted compassion, I longed to beg for forgiveness all over again. My whole body quivered. If only she knew how she had saved and freed me in a single day. She was like an angel who’d come down to earth, willing to save even someone as wretched as me.

Her hands slowly made their way down to my neck, and the girl’s serene expression began to warp. I wondered what was wrong, but the words that left her lips surprised me yet again.

“I’m sorry that the only way I can punish you is by making you remain the prime minister.”

I could only smile at her apology. What an incredible person. She just didn’t seem to get it. Punishing me? Continuing as the prime minister wasn’t a punishment. It was a rebirth.

I cradled Princess Pride’s hand, kissing the back of it.

A kiss of utmost respect. Respect for your understanding heart, and for the depth of your mercy.

I stood on my knees and took her foot. She allowed me to remove her shoe, and I placed another kiss on the tips of her toes.

A kiss of adoration for a girl who is more angel than human. The angel who granted Marianne and me salvation.

I made my way to the top of her foot for my next vow. Her slender, childlike foot fit snugly in my hand.

My saviors, my friends, my master, my people. Everyone I trampled and betrayed. To them I pledge my devotion. Instead of dying in a cell, I vow to live an even longer life to repay the people and the royal family.

Finally, I kissed her shin, but just before I did, I glanced up. Prince Stale scowled at the corner of my vision, just as red-faced as the princess.

Ah, they’re so young. It was a reminder that the two of them were still just children, and I couldn’t help but smile.

Instead of loyalty, I pledge my obedience. I pledge the rest of my long life, rid of any further betrayals, to my master.

I finished my vow, made before myself, my master, and the woman I loved. Then I slipped Princess Pride’s shoe back onto her foot.

“I am not a knight,” I said, “nor am I bound to you by a subordination contract. So I ask that you witness my vow to you here and now.”

Kisses weren’t enough. I wanted to make a more concrete vow. I interlocked my fingers and bowed my head to make my declaration.

“I give you my sincerest thanks for offering this grave sinner such a chance to serve his country. I will never forget the blessings you’ve given me, including Marianne’s life.” Only at this point could I finally smile with genuine relief and joy.

“It’s a promise,” Princess Pride said.

Love welled up inside me when she returned my smile. The suffering and grief I’d endured over the past few years faded like smoke blown away by the wind.

I pledge my eternity to you. You’re the one who reclaimed everything in my life and handed it back to me.

The rest of my life belonged not to the woman I loved but to the princess.

This infinite life of mine—it existed for the sake of the people.